32 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



A MiKMBER : Don't you find a whole lot of scientihc fellows 

 who' can not make connection with the farmer's mind ? 



Mr. Hamilton : Yes and no. I will tell you what has been 

 done. There was the greatest opposition to the Agricultural 

 College and Experiment Station in our State — that is about 

 eight or nine years ago — the State board was opposed to it and 

 all were opposed to it. I was made the first institute director 

 in our State; and the secretary said to me: "You don't want 

 to talk about the State College when you go out in institute 

 work." I said: "That is just one of the things I am going to 

 talk about all over this State; that is what I want to do." I 

 went up to the college and I said to the president: "See here; 

 I want an open card in this w^hole establishment, and whenever 

 I want a man, you must send him to me ; T am in the hole : I 

 haven't got enough men to do the work." He hesitated some: 

 but they knew me ; I told him I w^ouldn't abuse the privilege. 

 We went out into the institute work and I sent for the men. 

 The first time I put in five and a half months' solid work in 

 our State and got to knowing it pretty well. I would get up to 

 an audience and say something like this : Xow, here we have 

 got a great institution in the central part of the State, spending 

 a whole lot of money. I want to know who has been benefited 

 by it; you people hold up your hands. Then I said, there is 

 something the matter, either you are wrong, or they are 

 wrong, that is clear. Now, if you are wrong, you ought to get 

 right, and if they are wrong, they are wrong in one of two 

 ways ; either they are not doing the work they ought to be doing, 

 or else they are not publishing it; if it is not right up there, let 

 us make it right. Now, I says, I have brought one of those 

 men down here; I am going to stand him up on this platform 

 and I want you to take notice; I want you to listen, take notes 

 and see what he knows. The man gets up and tells his story; 

 he is telling an interesting story. I would say, hold on now^; 

 we want to know if anybody Avho gets up like that, we want to 

 see whether he knows anything outside of what he has been 

 telling you. I will ask a question ; and pretty soon it was dis- 

 covered that there was a man who knew a whole lot more than 

 they did. They got. after a bit, to asking questions for infor- 



