EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART II. 69 



What a changed, condition do we find today from what it was 

 when I first came to the state. In almost every line of work we 

 cut and covered, so as to get over the ground, when we plowed. 

 But she has made many steps in advance. When we realize that 

 45 million people in Japan live on 15 million acres of cultivated 

 land, the fence corners and waste spots in Iowa today would 

 practically support the population of Japan, if it was cultivated as 

 intensely as those little Japs cultivate. Their average farm is less 

 than two acres in extent, and it will produce enough to support a 

 family. And while we have accomplished much, our young men 

 need not think there is no field open for them today, for there is as 

 much to be accomplished by them as there was in the early days, 

 and Iowa can be kept in the very foreground of the states of the 

 union. Intense farming is what made it prosperous. 



Now, gentlemen, it is not in place for me to talk to you ex- 

 tensively, but simply to make an address of welcome; and I can 

 assure you that the great Commercial Club of Des Moines, with 

 nearly a thousand members, and business men, extends to you a 

 hearty welcome, and the hope that this session will be the best 

 session that you have had since you first came to Des Moines. 



RESPONSE TO ADDRESS OF WELCOME. 



G. H. VAN HOUTEN, LENOX, IOWA. 



Mr. Pesident: I am sure, in responding to this cordial address 

 of Mr. Dobson on behalf of the citizens of Des Moines, I 

 can say that we are very grateful for the kind words spoken. Yet 

 we realized we were welcome, even without these eloquent words 

 uttered in our presence. Some of us, in fact, have come to Des 

 Moines so often and stayed so long that we have almost felt at 

 home here. If I were speaking for myself, I would speak differ- 

 ently ; but as I am delegated to speak for you all, and some of you do 

 not come here as often, you may not appreciate the hearty welcome 

 the people of Des Moines are ready and willing to give you. 



It has been my privilege to be closely identified with our state 

 fair for several years, and it has been my privilege to be associated 

 with the people of Des Moines for many years, and the more I 

 know of the State Fair, and the more I know of Des Moines and 

 the state of Iowa, the more I am conscious of the fact that the 

 prosperity of all are linked closely together. So that the people of 

 Des Moines, in giving us the welcome they do, understand and be- 



