SEMI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 205 



Grasses are at their best at different seasons, then they rest for 

 a time. They should supplement each other throughout the 

 seasons. Many pastures have no legumes growing with the 

 grasses, while all that are at home in the soil or climate should be 

 imder tribute. The office of the legume is well known to every- 

 body here. The agricultural colleges should do demonstration 

 work along such lines as pasturing and draining in all the states. 

 Perhaps it should be done through other state agencies, in co- 

 operation with the college faculties. We must not be content 

 with research work that hits nothing, that is not applied to some- 

 thing, that helps no farmer or handler of crops. Leave all that 

 to abstract science. We must make good and find pots of gold at 

 the ends of all our rainbows. 



PERCENTAGE OF FARMERS 



Including the population of our island possessions, half of 

 the people under our flag are producers from the soil. This 

 half owe it to the other to prepare themselves for discharging the 

 duties of citizenship with the highest intelligence. They are 

 financially able to educate, as 72 per cent, of our exports — or 

 nine hundred millions of dollars — is the price of farm products 

 sold abroad annually, after supplying the home requirements. 

 They have leisure and more facilities for reading and reflection 

 than the other half of the people. Rural free delivery of mails, 

 the telephone, the daily and farm papers, magazines, and other 

 sources of information combine to form powerful adjuncts in 

 the education of the farmer and his family. They are not 

 organized as a class, and are not likely to be, but they are the 

 nation's jury when questions of pubHc policy are to be settled. 



FINE MACHINERY 



The returns from intelligent farming are becoming more 

 satisfactory as the principles that govern production are better 

 understood, affording better homes and home conveniences. 

 Our farmers are experts in managing fine machinery, and the 



