not for this State particularly, but for the country at large. We 

 have here with us to-day a gentleman young in years, but old in 

 experience, who has been looking after the agricultural interests of 

 this State for quite a number of years. He understands his subject 

 very thoroughly ; he knows what the needs of the State are, and what 

 we will have to do in the future to make this State what it always 

 has been and we hope always will be the Empire State of the United 

 States! (Applause). I have the pleasure of introducing to you Mr. 

 R. A. Pearson, our Commissioner of Agriculture, who will now 

 address you." 



(Vigorous applause as Mr. Pearson approaches the platform). 



HON. R. A. PSARSON, Commissioner of Agriculture of the State of 



New York, said : 



"Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen: I appreciate the honor 

 of being asked, even though it is upon very short notice, to say a few 

 words to you. First, I desire to express the appreciation of the agri- 

 cultural people of this State of the fact that the great leaders of 

 the State in commerce and industry are giving such close and useful 

 attention to the problems of the farmer. I wish to congratulate Presi- 

 dent Brown upon the thought of getting together those who are 

 attending this meeting, President Ring, and all those gentlemen who 

 are associated in the call. 



"The agricultural interests of the State are well represented here. 

 We have in this audience representatives from the State College of 

 Agriculture, from the State Experiment Station, from the State schools 

 of Agriculture, the Presidents of the leading agricultural organiza- 

 tions, the Master and the Executive Committee of the State Grange 

 which numbers ninety thousand in its membership, and many indi- 

 vidual, successful farmers. We are glad to feel that we may co- 

 operate with you in the purposes of this gathering. 



"Now^ just in a minute or two I wish to give you a few figures 

 a few statistics. Let me remind you that according to the last 

 Uniied States census, now ten years old, New York State stood fifth 

 of all the States of the Nation in the value of her agricultural prod- 

 ucts, turning out a quarter billion dollars of agricultural products 

 per year; exceeded only by Ohio, Illinois and Iowa. But New York 

 led these States when it came to a comparison per square mile. New 

 York State, according to the last census, stood first of all the States 

 in the number of dairy farms, in the number of cows and the value 

 of dairy products sold. Again, of all the States, New York State 



15 





