124 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



(ion. and brought into regular and abundant fruitfulness while the neigh- 

 boring orchards are still practically barren. 



Many of you will remember, that the excellent paper of Prof. Cooley 

 /roves from the census returns, ihat about the only counties in which the 

 rural population showed an increase during the last decade were Kent, 

 Allegan. Van Bureu and Berrien, and that he ascribed the gain in these 

 counties to their ])each crops. I happen to know of a number of apple 

 orchards in each of these counties that contest with the best peach 

 orchards in their net profits. Should not the apple orchards have a part 

 of the glory in saving the honor of the State? 



As shown by the figures given above, the acreage of apple orchards in 

 the other counties in southern Michigan has shown a decrease, and the 

 rural population has also decreased. When the farmers of these counties 

 come to their senses and renovate the more promising apple orchards, 

 may we not expect that the financial returns will soon be such that these 

 ounties will show a gain in their rural population by the end of this 

 decade? 



CANADA. \YHAT SHE HAS DONE FOR THE FARMER BY 

 ORGANIZATION. 



BY GEO. C. CREELMAN, TORONTO, CAN.^ SUPT. FARMERS'' INSTITUTES FOR ONTARIO. 



It gives me very great pleasure indeed, to be with you this evening and 

 to tell you about our work in Canada. In the first place, as a Canadian, 

 I feel a deep interest in Michigan, for I understand that about one-third 

 of your population is from Great Britain or Canada. In the second place, 

 I spent a full summer in study at the Michigan Agricultural College, and 

 I come back to talk to you as a former student. 



We are proud to feel in Canada that we have been of use to the United 

 States, and have helped you in your development. Hundreds of thousands 

 of our people have crossed our borders and settled in the States. We are 

 almost purely an agricultural country and we are particularly a live 

 stock country; and usually we have sent to you only good farmers. But 

 we have also given you many leaders in agricultural education. In the 

 recent Live Stock Exposition, the finest show ever held on this continent, 

 classes of college boys comi)eted for prizes in the judging of stock. Out 

 of the eight teams competing six were trained by Canadian instructors. 



In Canada we are coming to feel that the farmers ought to be the most 

 independent class of people in the world. We find professional men 

 going into politics hedging on one question or another, but the farmer 

 is independent in thought and action. His personal success does not so 

 much depend upon what people think of him, and he can say frankly what 

 he thinks; but it is sometimes hard to get farmers 'to realize that they 

 can thus be independent and that tliis is one of their richest possessions. 



I like your meeting here. You are frank and free in your discussions 

 and earnest in your desires to learn more about your business. But you 

 who are present here do not need all this added knowledge as much as 

 some of vour brother farmers do who do not get out to these meetings. 



