DRY-FARMING CONGRESS, WICHITA, 1914 



199 



which the Chinese representative has had no opportunity of doing here to- 

 night. 



The last speaker we will hear tonight is the representative of the 

 I believe, a year, studying the agricultural interests of his government. 

 He has asked to be excused, possibly because he came to this country 

 without the knowledge of English, and possibly he feels as we would feel 

 if we were in Spain and were called upon to tell of the agricultural work 

 over there. We shall, however, hear him briefly. 



Spain 



SENOR GREGORIO CRUZ VALERO: 



With my poor English — worth only, I fear, to make you laugh — you 

 will not blame me if I am timid in delivering a speech before such a select- 

 ed and distinguished gathering. 



I will ask you to forgive me what cannot be called English, and re- 

 member that your Secretary is to blame for all this! 



I would have been happy if I could outline to you briefly the essential 

 principles of agriculture which will shortly place Spain as one of the fore- 

 most nations in that respect, and how rapidly, now, simple and old methods 

 are changed to complex, difficult, and modern methods of agriculture. To 

 do this, our very best men in Spain are engaged to bring success. 



Our dry-farming principles are fairly different. We need more in- 

 tensive cultivation — if this word "intensive" could be applied to the dry- 

 farming system. 



So convinced is our government that the success to the above depends 

 in educating the masses to scientific principles of agriculture that it haS 

 introduced a course even in our military schools, so the soldiers may, In 

 time of peace, handle all modern agricultural machinery, and in time 01 war 

 defend the soil with arms. 



So our soldiers, after they have finished the compulsory service in the 

 army, return to the fields educated and practically trained in agricultural 

 principles, and able to produce more and better crops. 



We are now fighting, and trying rapidly to destroy the agricultural 

 traditions which are so deeply ingrained in our people from their forefath- 

 ers; and substitute instead of primitive ways, scientific ways. 



The agriculture of the future will require an intellectual alertness, sus- 

 tained interest, and business ability, which many of our countries do not 

 now possess. It is no exaggeration to say that modern biology, for in- 

 stance, is, in my opinion, the background of agriculture in influncing 

 country life all over the world as profoundly as electricity has influenced 

 industrial life; and therein lies the hope of agriculture of the future. 



Our present civilization tends automatically to bring intelligence to 

 the great cities. The most important conservation is not only moisture on 

 the land, as is the motto of the International Dry-Farming Congress, but 

 the conservation of human intelligence; and the most important indirect ad- 

 vantage of this new agriculture lies in the fact that points out the means of 

 utilizing in everyday life the wonderful facts of nature, placed at our dis- 

 posal by modern biology. 



