it was considered a doubtful compliment to pay to a railroad man 

 to refer to him as a farmer; but under the leadership of Mr. Brown 

 it has become to-day a badge of honor, and it augurs well for the 

 success of this movement that men of his type are unequivocally 

 pledged to its support." 



MR. W. C. BARRY, President of the Western New York Horticultural 

 Society, of Rochester, N. Y., said: 



"Gentlemen, I hardly think I can add anything of importance 

 to that which has been said to-day. I come from Western New 

 York, which, as you know very well, is a region famed the world 

 over for its products, especially its fruit products. Now, the ques- 

 tion to-day is how can we increase this production. The question 

 is how can we restore fertility that has been lost. Criticism has 

 been made of the present condition of farming in New York State, 

 and it is proper for us to understand why this condition prevails 

 to-day. Now, it would take quite a little time to make this explana- 

 tion, and I know at this late hour you are in no humor to listen to 

 lengthy remarks ; but I will say briefly that this virgin soil of the 

 State of New York, which produced such great crops years ago, 

 is gone. Our people, discovering that there were no means of re- 

 storing fertility to this soil, emigrated to the West, and established 

 their farms in the West, deserting New York State. And what is 

 the result to-day? We have no means of restoring fertility to the 

 soil. We are up against a big proposition ; and we are very glad 

 to have help help of the best kind to solve this difficult question 

 with which we are confronted to-day. New York State certainly 

 should hold first place. It can hold first place, and it will hold first 

 place in time. But we shall have to be patient; we shall have to 

 study out this question, and then we shall have to do what is neces- 

 sary to be done, with the co-operation of everybody. I say with the 

 co-operation of everybody, because the farmer alone cannot do it. 

 Now, how to restore the fertility of the soil is the great, big question. 

 I think that in the course of time, perhaps not many years distant, 

 we shall be able again to report as large returns as we have in the 

 past, through the improved methods. What I want to say to-day is 

 that I believe that everything is being done that can possibly be done 

 by the farmer himself. He is sending his son to the schools of 

 agriculture; he is obtaining all the information he can from the ex- 

 periment stations; and with his limited means and poor help he is 

 doing fairly well under the circumstances. The help question the 



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