Address of Welcome to Farmers Institute Conference

by S.Avery 

"The agricultural advancement has been largely due to three forces: the agricultural experiment station which has supplied information the agricultural schools and colleges which have developed trained young men to man the positions in the experiment stations and finally the farmers institute which have brought the knowledge obtained to the immediate attention of the farmers. There three agencies have worked hand in hand. Whatever has been for the good of onehas been for the good of the other. Their united, harmonious action has been conductive to the agricultural solidarity that prevails. The agricultural advancement due to the Farmers Institutes has not been brought about without some personal hardships. It is a pleasure to me to adress you this morning as I know from personal experience what some of these are as I have personally spoken on the institute platform from the Panhandle to the capital of Idaho and from Callaway to Nebraska City of this state. It was not entirely a succession of Pullmans and first class hotels. I remember very distinctly in Idaho when arriving at a town to hold an institute we were informed that the regular hotel was closed down for renovation and we must go to a second class lodging place. Imagining that my room was a little close in the night I reached out raised the sash and thrust a pocket knife under it in order to acquire a little ventilation. It did seem a little cold that night with the wind

blowing as it did across those sage brush plains but I had the satisfaction of feeling sure that I had air enough to breathe. In the morning I discovered somewhat to my surprise that I had raised an empty window sash. But after all that strenuous work of bumping along on freight trains during the night in order to have the privilage of speaking three times the next day and the various other things institute workers encountered are fully matched by the efforts of the local managers."