88 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



If there is one word of criticism that I might with propriety 

 indulge in, it is that many Missourians are not as loyal as they 

 should be to this State. I admire the people of New York, the 

 people of Virginia, the people of Kentucky and the people of Cali- 

 fornia for the loyalty displayed by them at all times to their 

 respective states. And I am one of those Missourians who believes 

 that there is nothing too good for Missouri. Missouri should have 

 the best of churches and the best furnished churches, the best 

 schools and the best equipped schools, and the best homes 

 and the most conveniently arranged homes. And Missouri 

 farmers ought to be the best and most scientific farmers, 

 because Missouri farms have the best and greatest variety 

 of soils of any state in the Union; and the success of Missouri is 

 dependent upon the success of the Missouri farmers. Unfortu- 

 nately, too many of our farmers have neglected the matter of agri- 

 cultural education, and have neglected to improve their opportuni- 

 ties. But when I see this magnificent gathering of Missouri farm- 

 ers, and when I remember that I saw similar gatherings that were 

 held in Columbia last year and the year before, I can truthfully 

 say and I am glad to say it, that the days of incompetent farming 

 in Missouri are passing rapidly away. 



I welcome you because you are progressive farmers. Your 

 presence at this meeting is proof of the fact that you are not satified 

 with what you and your fathers and grandfathers have done, but 

 that you want to go forward. Whenever a number of men get dis- 

 satisfied with the quality of work they are doing, and show that 

 they are interested in improving that work, there is a bright future 

 for them. I am glad that our Missouri farmers are making im- 

 provement in the matter of live stock, the operation of dairies, the 

 care of soil and the preservation of forests, as well as trying to 

 improve the annual volume of their farm and garden products. It 

 was my good fortune, in the summer of 1911, to go, in company 

 with the members of the State Board of Agriculture and some 

 guests from St. Louis and Kansas City, on an automobile trip 

 across the State in the interest of good roads. Our friends from 

 those cities were surprised at the large number of valuable farms 

 that they saw along the way, surprised to see so many of those 

 farms well supplied with modern improvements, and so many of 

 them in the highest state of cultivation. These people from the 

 cities knew that other states had fine farms and progressive farm- 

 ers, but they were quite agreeably surprised to know that Missouri 



