124 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



time to give me the information, I squeeze liim just as dry as I can. I 

 believe it to be true from this information that the present year is con- 

 clusive evidence of the value of the scientific knowledge of agriculture, 

 and I am told that of the four hundred million bushels of corn — I speak 

 in round numbers — which the farmers of Iowa have produced this year, 

 that you owe fifty million of these bushels, at the most conservative esti- 

 mate, to the knowledge that you have gained in the study of the science 

 of agriculture within the past few years. That is to say, if we had not 

 known anything more about raising corn than we did twenty years ago 

 and exactly the same conditions had prevailed in this State as have pre- 

 vailed this year, instead of raising four hundred million bushels of corn 

 we would not have raised more than three hundred and fifty million 

 bushels on the same acres. I recognize, of course, that there are a great 

 many elements entering into this gradual and insensible advantage, but I 

 have given you what I believe to be a conservative estimate; therefore, 

 in ccrn alone you have fifty million bushels more than you would have 

 had. It happens to be worth this year thirty-three cents per bushel. I am 

 not new speaking of the additional profit you will acquire if you feed it 

 to hogs. 1 am assuming now that you sell it, and the advantage there- 

 fore that the people of Iowa have this year in ccrn alone returns them an 

 investment of not less than fifteen million dollars. Fifteen million dollars 

 is the sum that I have in mind for corn alone. If you will add to this 

 the idditional advantage of your forage crops, and of your cattle, your 

 hogs, and everything that you have produced derived solely from this 

 general interest that the farmers have taken in this science of agricul- 

 ture, I have no doubt that when I name twenty-five million dollars as 

 your profit upon that investment I will be well within the limits. Twenty- 

 five million dollars in a single year. That is more, a good deal more, 

 than the State of Iowa has spent on its educational institutions for both 

 the support and the construction of all our educational institutions. That 

 is, I mean our three educational institutions, the College at Ames, the 

 University at Iowa City and the Normal School at Cedar Falls. You have 

 taken in in one- year more than you have ever spent for their support. 

 Including all that you have ever expended in the construction of the splen- 

 did buildings that are now to be found at these various institutions. 

 Twenty-five million dollars will pay all the expenses of the State of Iowa 

 for a single year. That is to say, I am not speaking of the State govern- 

 ment, but the county government, the city government and the township 

 government. These expenses will be a little less than twenty-five million 

 dollars. It means that you have earned this year enough to maintain 

 all the public schools of the State of Iowa, including the three institu- 

 tions conducted by the State devoted to higher learning. It means that 

 you have won enough to pay for two years all the expenses connected 

 with the maintenance of our public school system. 



Now, I believe, if I have correctly stated the facts, you must agree with 

 me that you have made a wonderfully good investment. No investment in 

 the State has ever returned so high and so rich a reward as that invest- 

 ment which originated and which carries forward this work of education. 

 And now I am coming to my point, because I have this in my heart to say. 



