10 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



fostering every commendable agency for the development of our varied 

 agricultural interests. An examination of the records of the Board will 

 show that it has given its earnest support to the establishment and main- 

 tenance of the Agricultural College, the Experiment Station, county and 

 district agricultural associations, Live Stock Breeders' Asociations, the 

 Corn Growers' Association, the Road Improvement- Association, the 

 Farmers' Institute work, live stock inspection and State veterinary work 

 and others of no less importance. But how are we to know what good 

 has been accomplished? What reason can we give that the work of the 

 Board for these forty years has been profitable to the State and which 

 would merit a continuance of our commission in the future? The oppor- 

 tunity to prove what has been accomplished by the united agencies that 

 have been stimulated to better effort by your fostering care has been 

 given by the holding within the borders of our State the greatest com- 

 petitive international exposition ever held in the history of the w^orld. 



At the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, held in St. Louis during 

 this year 1904. the farmers of Missouri have had the opportunity of 

 measuring their progress in the achievements of the sciences of agri- 

 culture and live stock husbandry, not only with the best farmers and 

 stock breeders of the United States, but with the best farmers and stock 

 breeders of every enlightened nation on earth. What is the result as 

 told by the official records? Missouri won a greater number of prices 

 in the aggregate in all classes of products of the farm competing, than 

 any other state or nation. 



Many of the problems with which the farmers of the State are con- 

 cerned today are different from those which demanded the attention of 

 the farmers forty years ago. Then one great problem was that of 

 transportation for their products so that they could take advantage of 

 the markets of the world ; now our State is checkered with railroads, 

 and we are in almost daily touch with the cities and ports of ttic entire 

 I'nited States. Then the problem was to build railroads; now it is to 

 build good wagon roads. Then the problem was to clear the forests and 

 to find use for the timber ; now it is to find timber to meet our wants. 

 Then the problem was to find what crop or what breed of live stock 

 was adapted to our environment : now it is to improve the quality of 

 well established crops and breeds. Then the problem was to plant 

 the orchard ; now it is to cultivate and protect it from insects and disease. 

 Then we tilled a soil rich in humus and increased the product by culti- 

 vating more land ; now we till a soil with the humus burned up and the 

 problem is to increase the product by building up the soil, improving the 

 seed and practicing better methods of cultivation. Our work of 



