218 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



THE CHAIRMAN. We will now hear Mr. J. A. Filcher on " The 

 National Farmers' Congress and its Work." 



THE NATIONAL FARMERS' CONGRESS AND ITS WORK. 



By J. A. FILCHER, of Sacramento. 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: I have felt extremely diffi- 

 dent in regard to taking up your time, as I feel that the subject 

 assigned to me is somewhat foreign to your immediate interests. It 

 might possibly be interesting to sit a little while and listen to some- 

 thing about the Farmers' National Congress and its work, but you are 

 directly and intensely interested in the State of California Fruit-Grow- 

 ers' Convention and its work. It has been with me, on previous occa- 

 sions, a theme to discuss foreign markets for California produce, and 

 on that subject I have felt conceited enough to believe that I could sug- 

 gest some ideas of interest, and while I shall speak off-hand to-day in 

 the few minutes I shall occupy your time, I am going, after briefly 

 indicating something about the Farmers' Congress, to switch off onto the 

 general education of a farmer. 



The Farmers' National Congress which I had the honor of attending 

 a year ago at Rock Island, Illinois, in my judgment is one of the most 

 thoroughly representative bodies that assembles in America. Until 

 identified with it, I had no idea that we had on this continent a body 

 which met annually so completely representative as the Farmers' 

 National Congress. Its accredited delegates number about one thousand 

 on an average, and they impress me as thoroughly representative men 

 from several states of the Union; and being largely of a voluntary 

 character, in their representation they necessarily include men of public 

 impulse, energy, and enterprise. They are appointed, to be sure, by 

 the Governors or by representative bodies of the different states, but 

 it is only those of self-sacrificing disposition or of public energy who 

 may feel able to attend. This Congress, which usually holds its session 

 about one week — and which, by the way, wants an excuse to come to 

 California — takes up all the subjects — I was going to say of interest to 

 the farmers — of public interest to the people of America. If you 

 will allow me, I will enumerate briefly the subjects acted upon favor- 

 ably at the Congress a year ago, and the first subject considered was 

 the teaching of agriculture, horticulture, and domestic science in the 

 schools of America. I obtained a great deal of inspiration from the 

 discussion of this subject in that Congress and awoke sensibly for the 

 first time to the fact that, as a people, particularly in California, w,e 

 are deficient in this particular branch. The opening, the dedication, of 

 the State Farm is a new and wonderful stride on our part in the direc- 

 tion of overcoming these defects, and I believe through that we will 



