FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION 67 



that we have great opportunities for dairying in Southern II- 

 Hnois and we are going to try to improve them — we are looking 

 upon you as missionaries. 



We understand the Association meeting has never been 

 held as far south as this city, and we are glad to welcome you 

 here to the institution, and I propose now to turn over this 

 session to Mr. Mason of Elgin, president of this association, 

 and I am glad to introduce him to the school and to ask him to 

 take charge of this session and do with these other men as he 

 sees lit." (Applause.) 



Mr. Mason : — Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen : It 

 is a little out of my sphere to talk to students, when I talk to 

 farmers I feel right at home, but this is a little out of my line. 

 I see lots of young men — let every boy that ever milked a cow 

 raise his hand, I want to know if you have got any dairymen 

 here. (Applause.) Now I want every girl who lives on a farm 

 to raise her hand. (Applause.) 



Now we will talk about dairying a little here. The vocation 

 of agriculture is the greatest one there is. We don't realize 

 it until we come to farm this high-priced land. The time is past 

 vvdien you can go at it and farm it haphazard. Scientific agri- 

 culture means putting into practice farming this high-priced 

 land profitably, and the farmer does not realize the importance 

 of his calling. His vocation creates new wealth; he creates 

 more wealth and prosperity to our nation than any and all oth- 

 er lines of activities. Bear in mind that there is no vocation, no 

 business, where there is so much money invested as there is in 

 these farms, twenty, forty, fifty millions of dollars, where it is 

 run as haphazard as farming is. It wont stand the abuse; you 

 cannot put that much money into any other line of business, 

 keep no track of things, not know where the money comes and 

 goes, and hold together equal to that. On the other hand you 

 put that right clown to a good business basis, just as a bank or 

 business man does with his business, and there is not a better 

 business than farming. That is the one thing where the farm- 

 er lacks more than any other, and that is to learn to finance his 

 business. That is the keynote of the situation. That will put 



