418 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



"The marked success of agricultural colleges in improving farm 

 products and winning live stock premiums at State, national and inter- 

 national expositions has attracted attention everywhere to their prac- 

 tical and successful methods. The agricultural population of this coun- 

 try is doing more reading and thinking toward improved production 

 than was ever kriown in rural history, and the United States govern- 

 ment, through its Department of Agriculture, Commerce and free rural 

 mail delivery, is doing everything possible to encourage such progress. 



"A closer study of feeds and feeding on the part of farmers and 

 feeders generally in this country has led to greater economy and more 

 variety in the use of feedstuffs, with consequent better health of our 

 domestic animals than ever before, while the eye of nearly every farmer 

 and stock raiser is being trained to discriminate between the coarse, ill- 

 proportioned and poorly growing 'scrub' and the fine, well-proportioned, 

 thrifty and well-bred animal of quick maturity. 



•'The public preference for meats, both at home and 'abroad, is rap- 

 idly changing from heavy, fat animals of mature age to plump, well- 

 bred 'baby beef,' 'baby mutton' and young pork, and growers of meat 

 animals must realize thaet if they would reap the greatest benefit from 

 their industry they must get in line with public demand. Moreover, it 

 is a well-known fact that the greatest gain from a given amount of 

 feed is to be obtained from growing animals and not from fattening 

 animals that have already reached the age of maturity. 



"The study of soils, the better breeding of plants and animals, the 

 study of balanced rations for animals and men, the use of manure spread- 

 ers, corn harvesters and other new inventions, better buildings, more 

 shelter for stock and improved roads, the spread of cheap interurban 

 transportation, the telephone, daily mail delivery, with market informa- 

 tion, farming and stock journals, books and magazines, agricultural col- 

 lege's, experiment stations and agriculture in the public schools for edu- 

 cation of the young, local, State and national live stock and agricultural 

 associations, for discussion, organized action and better education of 

 farmers and stockmen in their business of supplying the country's needs; 

 local, State and national fairs and expositions of live stock and agri- 

 culture for demonstration of progress made, for offering inducements 

 through competition and rewards towards higher excellence, and for 

 practical education of the eye and mind in all that pertains to excellence 

 in the form and quality of exhibits — these are some of the causes and 

 incentives that are leading to more mental activity, more material pros- 

 perity, more home comforts and more social life on the farm, and these 

 changes are destined eventually to turn the mighty tide of population 

 away from the cities back to the country, thereby contributing immeas- 

 urably to the welfare and happiness of the whole nation. 



"All these changes are significant. They point inevitably to a fu 

 ture surplus of superior meats and draft animals that, together with 

 wise measures of reciprocity established by our government with foreign 

 nations, will enable us to go abroad and market our more excellent sur- 

 plus in successful competition with other producing nations, with mutual 

 benefits to our patrons and ourselves. 



