Observations on 3Iissouri Agriculture. 401) 



souri Co-operative Association in our own State are putting Missouri 

 among the leaders in this respect, but when the average Missouri farmer 

 is considered, his conception of the importance of good seeds is poorly 

 developed. His plan is too often to take what is available, or if he buys, 

 to allow the lower price of poor seeds to influence him in his choice. 



I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of farms of Germany 

 particularly, where the production of seed grains is one of the important 

 features of the farm operations, and the knowledge which these practical 

 men have of the principles of plant breeding and of the essentials to 

 the production of standard high class types of seed grains is a revelation. 

 The seeds are not only carefully selected and grown, but are just as 

 carefully cleaned and graded and are then sold, as a rule, through a seed 

 growers' organization, or through a system of government control which 

 insures their purity and quality to the buyer. In this we have much to 

 learn. AVhat we need in Missouri is not only a better appreciation of 

 the value of good seeds, but a thoroughly organized system of distribu- 

 tion which shall aid the man who has good seeds to sell as well as control 

 the unscrupulous man ; an organization that is free from private or com- 

 mercial influences, and which shall be maintained for the benefit of the 

 farmers as a class as well as for those growers and seed dealers who put 

 seeds on the market. Tn this the Corn Growers' Association and the 

 Co-operative Association have an opportunity for splendid accomplish- 

 ments. 



There are many other things that stand out as being needed in Mis- 

 souri agriculture as viewed from this distance and in this environment, 

 but I have not space nor time for them. There are, of course, many 

 things in which our agriculture is superior, too, but I have purposely re- 

 frained from mentioning them. Asa matter of fact, one must see other 

 countries before he appreciates America anyway. The very narrow op- 

 portunities of the European agriculturist impresses one most forcibly. 

 Here, where things have reached a condition of fixedness from which 

 one cannot escape, there isn't anything to which the farmer can look 

 forward. A living is all he can expect, and with the smaller farms, from 

 five to ten acres, this is not easily secured. But this is why their methods 

 must be superior. It is a matter of actual existence. Of course, with 

 the large farmer, it is different, and the life of such a landlord is usually 

 a very pleasant one. But in America we have still the opportunity to 

 avoid these conditions which mean a few large landlords and many small 

 peasant farmers. Our agriculture is sufficiently young that it can be 

 guided into the proper eliannels, if we can foresee the future accurately 

 and then work together. And in this not only the agricultural colleges 



