428 AViscoksik State Agricultural Society. 
A Voice: I would like to ask whether vou consider it a cure for 
gophers taking the corn. 
Mr. Clark: I don’t consider it a cure, but I can state I never lost 
much since. That is a cure for the time being. I have not known 
them to get my corn until it would begin to come up, if it was har¬ 
rowed, Just before it gets up, I harrow it again; that will act as a 
protection against the gophers. 
Mr. Daubner: I was going to say if that has cured them, they 
are not the kind of gophers we have down in our country. I want 
to say something in reference to that paper. I consider that paper 
as an exact picture of a great many farmers of this country to-day; 
not only small farmers, but some quite extensive farmers, that con¬ 
sider themselves first-class farmers; but the point seems to be how 
shall we enlighten this class of men. AVe have gone on in this 
convention, and have made statements in regard to certain things, 
but we have not given the remedy. AVhat are the best means 
to reach that class of men, and improve them, and get them on a 
different course. You might almost say it was impossible; that it 
could not be done; that they were entirely hopeless, from the fact 
that that class of men are bigoted. They know more than any 
one else can tell them, and they consider their method or way is 
the way. They look upon this agricultural society as a ring and 
a clique, and they consider that these men that come here are not 
actual farmers, but the president of some university or other learn¬ 
ed men, who gather their knowledge from books. Now, these 
granges that have been established throughout the country, certainly 
ought to do a great deal in bringing up this class of men, but even 
those fail in a great many instances to reach them. Thej r look 
upon them as a combination of some kind or other, and will grum¬ 
ble at the little sum charged for the initiation fee in those institu¬ 
tions. There were thirteen men in this city to-day with Avood to 
sell; how many of them knew there was an agricultural conven¬ 
tion held here at the capital? One out of the thirteen. How many 
of them knew that there was a State agricultural society here? 
Six out of the thirteen. They were selling wood right in this 
market, and didn’t know there was an agricultural society, and 
wanted to know if I didn’t mean the legislature. That is a fact. 
If we can’t get that class of men instructed, this complaint of mov¬ 
ing west will continue. They will go through a life-time, and die 
