No. 4.] THE AGRICULTURAL SITUATION. 73 



The Chairman. There is now an opportunity for the 

 audience to ask any questions of the governor, and I hope 

 they will improve it promptly, so that no time may be lost. 



Mr. French (of North Hampton, N. H.). What do you 

 consider the greatest drawback to American farming to-day ? 



Governor Hoard. Ignorance. 



Mr. French. I should not place it there. I do not think 

 it is ignorance, I do not think it is lack of knowledge. I 

 do not think that all the chemistry in the world, all the good 

 cultivation and big crops we can raise, — I do not think any 

 of these things amount to very much, unless we can sell our 

 crops for more than they cost. I think that the greatest 

 drawback to American farming to-day is that our markets 

 are not commensurate with our crops. 



Governor Hoard. What will enable us to have better 

 markets ? 



Mr. French. We want not only the markets of South 

 America and Mexico, as Mr. Blaine tells us, but we want 

 the markets of the whole world. We want our own ships 

 and our own sailors to transport our immense surplus prod- 

 ucts to the four corners of the earth. 



Governor Hoard. What will enable us to attain that result ? 

 The gentleman gives some very excellent things as objects to 

 be attained, and he and I will not dispute ; but, my friends, 

 before we attain them we must be intelligent enough to get 

 them. If there is anything that stands in our way concerning 

 markets to-day, it is ignorance. I said ignorance was the 

 greatest drawback to-day to the American farmer ; and I 

 measure the American farmer by myself. My ignorance, 

 my lack of understanding, my lack of judgment, how to 

 dispose of the force that I did have, has constantly cost me 

 fruitless labor ; and therefore I would say, as did Solomon, 

 "With all thy gettings get understanding." Now, this is 

 not theoretical, it is practical. For instance, I have received 

 in the past six months, while discussing in my own paper the 

 Babcock milk test, one hundred and eighty letters from 

 farmers, asking me what I meant by a little round dot, a 

 period, before figures ! One hundred and eighty letters, 

 asking me what I meant by a decimal point ! I have received 

 hundreds of letters from men who would write me confiden- 



