EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VI. 259 



when he knew all the time he would not get a premium. You may 

 think I am just trying to make fun, but it is not so. I have 

 both kinds at home. Of course I have my idea and my notion 

 about the sow and what she ought to be, but I don't know what 

 the others mean by a coarse sow. Is it big boned, or can it be 

 smooth in hips and shoulders, etc., or long and thin, or deep up 

 and down? I am a hog breeder and come here for the purpose 

 of learning something that will make me breed better hogs than 

 I ever did before, partly because I would like to beat the other 

 fellow and partly because I realize the importance of the hog when 

 you think of the difference it would make if every hog would 

 be worth ten cents more, and it could be easily worth fifty cents 

 more. It would mean more money than I am likely to make 

 while I am down here. I am not a talker. I have tried it and 

 it won't work. But when I come here I come to learn and I 

 can't do it if the men don't talk plain They are afraid to 

 talk straight truth because some other man might not like it. I 

 have gone to the scoring a good many times and sat around on 

 boxes and whittled and thought I would give a hundred doUars 

 if I knew just what a real good hog was. It seemed to me the 

 fellows as much as said, "Well, come on boys and let's get away 

 from here as soon as possible." And I didn't know much more 

 when we got through than I did before, so I never tried to score. 

 I attended the school and tried to learn by lessons, but you would 

 not talk. This meeting is a school of the world, not for us individ- 

 ually but for everybody, first Iowa, then the United States, then 

 the world. This is just a little piece of my mind as I see it. I 

 don't know for sure about anything and tomorrow when we go 

 over there to the scoring I hope there will be a man that will 

 make people see and think, not one that pretends to know and 

 see and teach people. The fee for a judge iat the state fair ought 

 to be a couple of hundred dollars. He can teach several million 

 people a great deal in each twelve months. We can learn which 

 is the best hog if he will go at it right. ' ' 



The annual business meeting, at which is transacted such busi- 

 ness as may come up and at which the election of officers takes 

 place, is held on Wednesday evening of the Iowa state fair week. 

 The June meetings are devoted solely to the discussion of matters 

 of interest to the members. 



