NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VI 2lS 
to view from all points and threshed out to the last handful of 
chaff. Nothing escapes. There are no privileged characters and' 
no checks on any one. The session occupied the full afternoon 
and evening, and was opened by L. H. Roberts, of Paton, Iowa, 
with the following: 
PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 
I thought this morning as I lay in bed about four o'clock that if I had 
not been a regular attendant of the swine breeders' meetings in all pro- 
bability I ought to go to this meeting. But I attended the first meeting, 
and to my recollection I have never missed one, and I always look for- 
ward with great pleasure to the meeting, not only because of the informa- 
tion which I get but also for the opportunity to meet the boys and have 
a visit with them. I am sure that if new farmers and breeders would 
only come out to the meeting with us they would get so enthused that they 
would keep on coming, for I notice that the old-time breeders who have 
been coming every year for twenty or twenty-five years don't get tired 
of it. 
I want to congratulate this association, as well as the farmers of Iowa, 
who make hog raising a branch of their business, upon the satisfactory 
conditions of the past year; also a promise of a continuance of fairly 
good times in our line of work. 
The pork market of the year has shown extremes of prices, first high 
and then low, but the range of prices has not been at all times profitable 
to the producer. On the other hand, there has been a great demand for 
breeding stock on the prospect of better markets or more and cheaper 
feed. 
We, as breeders, must be careful in regard to cultivating a boom on 
any special line of breeding as history repeats itself, that is, when any 
article reaches a price above the actual value it always seeks a lower 
level than the actual worth. 
So far as I have found this year there is not as large a crop of pigs as 
in former years and the loss of young pigs has been quite heavy. As 
breeders and pork raisers there is encouragement in the outlook for 
breeding animals as well as pork. 
The importance of the Association to the State of Iowa is increasing 
year by year. Iowa produces practically twice the number of hogs of any 
other state in the Union, so Iowa is the greatest state in the Union. I 
believe it. Since our last meeting we have been privileged to show our 
hogs not only in the greatest state in the Union, but one of the best 
arranged buildings. Our premiums have been the most liberal and we 
appreciate the treatment extended to us by the oflScers. 
The object of the Association has been to preserve the interests of this 
great industry and endeavor to make its condiiton better and forward 
its interests in every line. The Association has from the time of my 
earliest connection with it kept that steadily in view and adhered to 
those principles and will always do so. It is becoming recognized by the 
farmer of Iowa as a great help to him and he realizes more each year 
