26 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



The question of State aid to county fairs will no doubt be 

 presented to the Legislature during this session, and the great im- 

 portance of improving the character of the exhibits and stimulating 

 the educational feature of the county fair would call for careful 

 consideration of this proposed enactment. 



A pure seed law was also suggested for your action and the 

 need of such a law is growing more imperative. This office, acting 

 under authority of your legislative committee, collected a large 

 amount of data from other states and was ready to draft a bill 

 for consideration by the Board when we learned that such a bill 

 has been prepared by the College of Agriculture. I hope that a 

 bill regulating the sale and distribution of seeds may be placed upon 

 our statutes at this session. 



Statistical Law. — Two years ago we presented to the Legisla- 

 ture, then in session, a bill providing for collecting, compiling and 

 publishing farm statistics. This bill might have become a law at 

 that time but for the fire which destroyed the capitol building. We 

 are called upon almost daily to answer questions from out of the 

 State by persons thinking of coming to Missouri and wanting in- 

 formation we cannot give. We should be able to tell definitely the 

 acres in cultivation in each crop, the yield per acre, the number and 

 value of all animals in each county and a great many other facts 

 the inquirer may want to know. 



Premiums. — One of the first acts of the Board of Agriculture 

 was the appropriation of money for premiums, and this was nearly 

 fifty years ago. The Board arranged for competitive exhibitions 

 of various farm implements where their efficiency was demon- 

 strated and prizes awarded. This Board greatly encouraged the 

 adoption of new and improved machinery by such means. The 

 cash premiums you have given in our corn shows have made the 

 corn growers' organization a success. The $200 you set aside for 

 the corn trophy that is so much admired and so earnestly sought 

 for will likely form the chief object in that corn contest for several 

 years. Last March you appropriated $100 to encourage the home- 

 curing of meat and we will soon have our first contest for the 

 prizes thus provided. Many samples of ham and bacon will be on 

 exhibition in the Agricultural building during Farmers' Week. I 

 hope you will make this contest an annual feature for Farmers' 

 Week. 



You have more recently appropriated $25 to aid the Home 

 Makers' Conference in giving a short course scholarship in the 



