578 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



be a skilled mechanic, he must train his hands as well as his head; if 

 he is to he a minister of the gospel he must know his Bible and know how 

 to teach its truth to others; if he is to be a farmer he must know his 

 farm and musu know how to use it — he must be educated. 



HOW I CAME TO GO TO COLLEGE AT SIXTY. 



By Asa Turner. President loica Corn Growers' Association. 



The little woman that keeps step with me in life once came to me 

 and said, "Husband, mine, you know what you say to me when I am 

 cross." "Who said anything to you about being cross?" "Well, nobody, 

 only I am sometimes, and then you say I am tired and have been working 

 too hard and I'd better get on the cars and run down and see mother." 

 Now, I don't want to intimate that you have been cross, but with the 

 hogs all dying with the cholera this year and the oat crop falling down 

 and the men going on a strike in haying, I know you have been a good 

 deal worried and didn't I hear you say you would like to go to the 

 International Stock show at Chicago?" 



"Well, so your recipe for a worried man is to send him down to the 

 International Stock show at Chicago. Now, Dr. Turner, I think I will take 

 that prescription." 



I went and drew up side of the show ring where they were inspect- 

 ing horses and with other chance acquaintances watched the show, but 

 being in this worried state of mind and having lots of things I wanted to 

 see, I became out of patience with their dilatory method of placing the 

 ribbon. They would have the horses trot off a ways, then judges would 

 stand and look at them, then get their heads together and look solemn 

 and wise as though they really knew something; then they would have 

 them trot off sideways; there would be more watching, some solemn con- 

 ferences and more looking wise again. I got out of patience with this 

 and exclaimed: "Why in time can't they get to work and put the ribbon 

 on those horses! Anybody can see with half an eye that the gray colt is 

 the best horse." Of course there was an Irishman there and he called 

 me down by saying, "Mister, do you know the pints of a good horse?" 

 I told him "pints or no pints," I have been giving them away to get rid 

 of them, and if he would tell me where Johnson was with the college 

 shorthorn herd I would go and see him; cattle were the stuff; they were 

 the money makers, and I made up my mind right then and there I would 

 know the "pints" of a good horse and went my way to return home. 



I astonished my wife one day as I was reading Prof. Curtiss' pros- 

 pectus for a short course in live stock judging at Ames, by saying: 

 "Wife, I am going to college." This surprised her so that she gave one 

 of her old-fashioned girlish whistles. "What put that looney idea into 

 your head?" she said. "The boys will haze you up there." I said to her, 

 I would get along with the boys all right. 



I went down, of course, took the instruction under Profs. Curtiss, 

 Kennedy and Craig, and, thanks to them, I now know the "pints" of a 

 good horse. I went back a year later and one evening while we were 



