Special Trains in Agricultural Work. 417 



saving' ol" seed, wliicli lias hci'ctol'orc been very scai'cc and liii-ii in [)ri('(', 

 starting in early si)i'ing at $2 or ^:] per l)ushel and rapidly advancing 

 until the supply had been exhausted. For this reason a part of the price 

 asked for eowpeas distributed from the agricultural trains was that the 

 seed crop be saved. Cowpeas can be profitably produced at half the 

 present selling price, and an acre of this crop will equal or exceed in 

 value an average acre of corn in Missouri. The object in handling the 

 seed corn was to give a great many people a start of as good seed as 

 money will buy, for it is a fact that of the million bushels of corn plant- 

 ed in Missouri each spring a very large per cent is of more or less ques- 

 tionable quality. If by the use of better seed the Missouri corn yield 

 can be increased only one bushel per acre, it will mean an increase of ap- 

 proximately 8,000,000 bushels, equaling in value in one year the cost of a 

 new capitol. 



Prof. R. H. Emberson Talking to School Boys and Girls at Norborne. 



No live stock was taken on the Kansas City, Clinton and Spring- 

 field trip, the first one of the year. AVhile this trip lasted but two days, 

 2,000 quarts of corn and 800 quarts of cowpeas were sold to those among 

 the 5,000 farmers who were reached. More corn could have been 

 disposed of had not all on tlie train been sold before noon of the second 

 day. From this experience it was seen that on trains to follow it would 

 be necessary either to limit number of sales at each stop or to do less 

 advertising. On the Frisco trip, where some 45,000 people were reached, 

 9,600 quarts of seed were distributed along the 930 miles of track. This 

 seed, if planted on 2,500 acres and given careful cultivation, should make 

 at least five bushels more corn, worth, at 50 cents per bushel, $6,250 



A-27 



