466 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



her money in a better way than by employing capable men to go out 

 into the fields and apply the things, we Institute people have been 

 preaching. 1 hope the day is nut tar distant when tlie State will 

 take up this line of work,— whatever expense is involved will be 

 ami)ly repaid. 



The Province of Ontario started a similar moveuicnt five years ago. 

 They bad great ditTiculty in getting an appropriation for it, but they 

 finallv succeeded and hired men to go into ditlerent districts and 

 take up this work. Today they have thirty-two counties in which 

 they have these experts located the entire year. All of the reports 

 of their work are of most satisfactory character. 



The result of twenty-five years successful operation in Belgium 

 will surely justify a trial of the system in the United States. 



ADDKESS OF GENERAL BEAVER 



Mr. Chairman: I have been very much interested in this little 

 story of Belgium. The people of Belgium don't compare with the 

 people of I'eniisjklvania as far as I know. They have not been edu- 

 cated as we have been educated. They cannot assimilate ideas as 

 we can, and they cannot carry them into effect as we can. I know 

 that we have better educated men than they have — even with their 

 agricultural doctors, although they may be equal to the demands 

 made upon them there. 



Now, Mr. Hamilton spoke of Mr. Hutchison's paper. The statis- 

 tics in it were furnished by a rr;ilroad agent. What have the rail- 

 roads got to do with it? AVhy, everything! If they don't stimulate 

 agriculture in every way they can, they won't have anything to keep 

 up their railroads. James J. Hill understands that. He is scatter- 

 ing prize bulls along his road in order to raise the standard of the 

 livestock, and he induces them to be sent each spring to Chicago to 

 compete with other prize cattle. This is not only a stimulation to 

 his community, but it is a stimulation, also, to his railroad which 

 brings him in his income. Now we have been thinking that the 

 Pennsylvania and Reading systems were doing a very generous thing 

 when they olTered to send agricultural trains into Pennsylvania. 

 Why, it is the most selfish thing they can do, and yet it is the only 

 thing they can do, short of a system such as Prof. Hamilton has 

 told us about in Belgium and Ontario. We may not reach this in 

 five, ten, or even in twenty-five years, but it will come, if not through 

 the direct agency of the authorities of Pennsylvania, it will come 

 through the United States. Why, there are now five bills pending 

 before the United States Congress, one to have agricultural instruc- 

 tion — that is, instruction in agriculture in sufficient amounts in 

 each state so that whatever subject the people may be specially in- 

 terested in, they may get information about. 



