596 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Agriculture has ever been the backbone of all industries. From the 

 sturdy sons and daughters of the farm the city population is recuperated. 

 The city people have had many advantages over the country population. 

 They have had better schools, better libraries, better facilities for communi- 

 cating with their fellow men, and still the farmers have held their own in 

 spite of heavy odds. But conditions are rapidly changing; the farmer's turn 

 has come. Rural free delivery is here, the telephone has arrived, good roads 

 will soon materialize, and agricultural education in the shape of schools, 

 colleges, institutes, agricultural press, is making gigantic strides. The 

 farmers are beginning to realize their own importance as they have never 

 realized it before, and I foresee the brightest future for members of the 

 coming generation on the farm if they will avail themselves of the educa- 

 tional advantages at their disposal. But, you say, ' ' What are some of the 

 lines of work in which the country youth should engage? " In a nutshell, 

 they are better methods of farming. Practical experience as well as scien- 

 tific investigation have made it clear that the field is open to us to improve 

 every crop we grow on the farm. We can, if we will go about the work 

 intelligently, increase the annual average of our corn crop from thirty-two to 

 fifty bushels per acre; we can increase the yeield of our oat crop from 

 twenty-eight to forty-five bushels per acre; and our barley from twenty-four 

 to forty bushels. There is no theory about this; it has been done; it can be 

 done again if we will determine to put the necessary energy and knowledge 

 to the wheel. What is true of grains is true of grasses and other farm 

 crops. They are as plastic in our hands as putty; they can be moulded into 

 almost anything we wish. The question simply rests with you, with each 

 one of you— will you undertake the work? 



Those of you who have given some thought to the dairy industry know 

 what a field this offers for energetic men. Think of it! Our annual yield of 

 butter is only 150 pounds per year per cow. Is any argument needed to 

 prove that intelligence will do wonders in the cow barn? If you are doubt- 

 ful, study the results obtained by many prominent dairymen scattered all 

 over the country. Hundreds of them have bred up herds that are averaging 

 250, 300 and 350 pound of butter per year, but alongside of these herds there 

 are thousands that produce less than the cost of feeding and caring for them. 

 The field for improving the live stock on the farm is large. We have many 

 pure-bred cattle in this country, but this very moment we need ten times as 

 many. Only one per cent of our cattle are pure-bred; ten per cent of them 

 ought to be. It costs no more to keep a pure-bred animal than a scrub, but 

 the farmer will yield double to three or four times the profit of the latter. 



Not only do we need to improve our dairy cattle but our beef cattle as 

 well. We can no longer afford to run corn through a sbrub steer— it does 

 not pay; when corn is worth from thirty-five to fifty cents per bushel and 

 beef is selling at from four to six or even seven cents per pound, we must 

 have steers capable of making the best possible use of their food. 



It is not necessary to confine these remarks to grains and cattle, they 

 apply to horses, sheep and hogs as well, though in the hog line we have 

 made rapid strides as far as breeding is concerned. Of equal importance 

 with the points mentioned are feeding problems or the management of your 

 soils in such a manner as to keep ud their fertility. Those who are inclined 

 along horticultural lines will find equally important theories for consideration 



