46 Thirii/si.iili Aninnil Meeting 



New Jersey farmers did a Tier a foi'iiicr yovenior of our staU^ 

 Governor Hoai'd. If iliei-c wci-c uku-c than one I'cpn'sciitativc of 

 Wiseonsin liere. or il" I \vci-c not more lliau live hundred mile- 

 from houie, I shouhl nol dai'c to tell one ol' his stories l)eeause he 

 tells them very admirahly and I very badly. 



Goveriioi' Hoard was down in New Jersey at a elam-bake — 

 not of the variety of clam that our l\liode Island friends gave vis, 

 but the little neck clam, lie was ealled on for a speech at the 

 close of the clam-bake ; he referred to the bivalve of which he had 

 been partakino-, and referi-ed to it as the "low neck" clam. One 

 of the old farmers said: "It ain't low neck, it is little neck." 

 Hoard gave him a glanee and went on witli his "low neck" clam 

 to the end of the speech ; but when the s|)eeeh was over the old 

 farmer came np and said: "(Jovernor Hoard, 1 reckon yon don't 

 have many clams out tliere in Wisconsin." The ({overnor says: 

 "No. we certainly don't; they don't do very well; it is a prairie 

 state', aiul driving the clams across the country to water, thev 

 get foot sore, so we don't raise a good many clams ont there." 

 The old farmer was so astonished that he simply exclaimed 

 "Gosh !" and after leaving asked," Is that man governor ont there 

 in Wisconsin ?" When told that he was, the farmer commented, 

 "Well, he may be all right for governor of Wisconsin but get him 



down in Xew Jersey and he ain't much better than a d d 



fool." (liaughter.) Xow. I have heen afraid all the time, es- 

 pecially when this question of fry and fingerlings came up, that 

 somebody might say that 1 was all right as fish commissioner of 

 Wisconsin, but when I got in with practical fish men, I was an 

 ignoramus. So, Mr. Toastmaster, I think you will agree that 

 I concealed my ignorance in a masterly way; and I assure you if 

 you will bring u]i the carp question to-morrow, 1 will do the same 

 thing and conceal my lack of knowledge as ca])ably as I did this 

 afternoon. 



Before sitting down, I want to express the thanks of the so- 

 <'iety to Erie for the admirable entertainment they have given us, 

 and I wish to express our regret that we could not take all of the 

 pleasant trips and share in the pleasant amusements which were 

 so hospitably planned by the reception committee. But we have 

 enjoyed thoroughly those tri])s which we have been able to take. 

 I was esi)ecially glad that the ])ractical fishermen here entered 



