68 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



to spell again. I have prepared a list of one thousand words and 

 we have spelling schools galore. I will tell you, I woud rather be 

 called a spelling crank than most any other kind. The President 

 of the Iowa State Normal 1 School came to me one year and 

 said : "That spelling down there is one of the best things that ever 

 happened." 



Not long ago we were able to receive a sack of Yellow Dent 

 corn for our institute members ; they are now bringing it to town- 

 ship exhibitions. We have township exhibtions. We had Miss 

 Hull make a talk for us and we charged admission ; we came out 

 ahead. We are now working to have a big county exposition. I 

 really didn't come up here to make a talk; I came up here trying 

 to get somebody to help us in that exposition. The thing is 

 started and on its feet. 



Not very long since I listened to a sermon of the presiding elder 

 of a Methodist church. As it happened, on going home to din- 

 ner I met the minister. I had met him before and in the course 

 of our conversation he said : "Young man, did you ever stop to 

 think, when you teach boys and girls, when you' are having them 

 plant corn and seeds and write about them, that you do things 

 according to God's plan ; you certainly are, and that is the reason 

 I am in favor of the things you have been doing." In addition 

 to that, he said he was carrying in his pocket a considerable time 

 one of these Ames ears of corn. That just made me feel like the 

 fellow who had been going to see his girl for six years and he 

 didn't have the courage to ask her to marry him. Finally he got to 

 that degree where he had the necessary courage to ask her. She 

 said "John, I would be glad to have you." It was a beautiful night ; 

 he didn't even stop to caress her, but opened the door and slam- 

 med it shut, and as he was going along in the heighth of his in- 

 toxication, he looked upward and said : "O Lord, I aint got noth- 

 ing against nobody." That is just the way I felt after hearing 

 some of these people tell me these things. I would like to talk to 

 you longer, but I cannot take your time. I thank you. 



Mr. Wing : I would like to say a word. I was extermely in- 

 terested in this talk, and I know it is the very best thing. In the 

 early days, when the boys came out on these prairies, they were 

 heroes. What about the boys today ? Now you are going to be 



