SEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III. 85 



The institute is bringing the farmer and the business man into closer 

 touch. It makes "something doing" in a town. It increases production, 

 therefore business. 



The institutes are helping markets, although slowly. A high grade of 

 corn in any locality will draw buyers there to get that corn. A general 

 high grade of horses in a county draws more buyers, makes keener com- 

 petition and higher prices. 



This brings to me that which is last but not least, the community of 

 interest encouraged by the institute among its members. Each helps 

 the other in helping himself. The spirit is unselfish. Men are made better 

 friends, better neighbors and better citizens by connecting themselves 

 with a public-spirited movement of the nature of a farmer's institute. 



The President : We will now stand adjonrned until two 

 o'clock this afternoon, at which time the prog'ram will be resumed. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



2 o'clock P. M. 



The President: The first on the program this afternoon is 

 an address by Professor W. J. Kennedy, of the State College at 

 Ames. 



THE DRAFT HORSE— WILL IT PAY THE AVERAGE FARMER TO 

 KEEP PURE BRED DRAFT MARES. 



PROF. W. J. KENNEDY, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, AlIES, lA. 



It affords me much pleasure to have the opportunity of presenting the 

 topic of the draft horse to you. There is a peculiar pleasure always in 

 helping some industry at a time when you feel sure that there is a 

 bright future before the same. Some of you may be thinking that the 

 business of producing draft horses has seen its best days and that a re- 

 action is close at hand. You may be right in your convictions. Time 

 alone will tell the tale. There does not appear to be any sane reason 

 for believing that the horse industry "has not a bright future. To all 

 appearances about the only thing that can Injure the demand for good 

 horses in the near future would be a depression in all lines of business. 



For several years the demand for good draft horses has been unusually 

 good. Each succeeding year has been a trifle better than its predecessor, 

 until at the present time high class draft horses are selling for higher 

 prices than ever before realized for this class of animals. Are these high 

 prices to continue? Someone will say that such a thing would be im- 

 possible because of the large number of horses now being produced each 



