those who were managing this Congress that on an occasion when the people gathered together from all the states in the Union to consider the important question of a proper conservation of the soil, that it would be well to have at least one farmer among those who were gathered together for the purposes of that discussion. (Applause) And so they came down to Jefferson City to ask me to turn aside from my executive and agricultural pursuits long enough to come up here and lend a little variety to the program this morning, because to those who come from other states it may be necessary to impart that although I have been regarded and referred to upon various occasions as something of a political curiosity, I am far more than that in that I am the first farmer Governor of the State of Missouri in over a half a century, and I think the first Governor in the entire history of the state who became a farmer after he became Governor. (Laughter and applause). So consequently I represent in and of myself both the principles of conversation and the principles of Conservation. Consequently, what I have to say to you this morning will be along the line of congratulation that you have come to a state that has such a splendid example, not only of the necessity, but of the practical results of the application of that great national policy that you are gathered here to consider. As has been suggested by the remarks of the Mayor, and the President of the Commercial Club, this question of conservation is a question which has so many sides, and has so many practical and important applications that you have, Mr. Chairman, to come to a great state like the State of Missouri, with its diversified interests and resources, in order to see just exactly how great a question you are dealing with. (Laughter) So I congratulate you upon the wisdom that you have displayed in selecting your place of meeting. I say this advisedly, because Missouri, which is the oldest of those states lying wholly west of the Mississippi to have been admitted to the Union, is one of the youngest or most undeveloped states between the Mississippi and the Pacific.

Even before the territory where we meet today had become a part of the American Republic, the hardy pioneers, hunters, trappers and traders who had carried English civilization across the Alleghanies and into the valley of the Mississippi had pushed westward even to the banks of the Missouri. Following the acquisition of the Territory of Louisiana and our organization as a territory and admission as a state. Missouri stood for forty years as an outpost of civilization, reaching out to the unknown and the undiscovered West. And from her borders stretched those two great highways of commerce, the Oregon Trail, and the Santa Fe Trail, along which, in turn, were to march the soldiers, hunters, trappers and traders who were to bind the Trans-Mississippi country to the United States by ties stronger than those of treaties and of laws. The Missourian became the pioneer of the West. And in practically every state that lies in that vast empire between the Mississippi and the Pacific the sons of Missouri have felled the forests, dug

the mines, cultivated the soil, written the constitutions and laws, held the offices and directed the commercial and industrial activities.

MISSOURI'S UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES.

So bounteously, in fact, has Missouri contributed of her citizenship to the development of other states and territories that she has left undeveloped many of her own natural resources and uncultivated almost one-half of her soil. Of the 44 millions of acres which constitute the State of Missouri, little more than one-half has ever been touched by a plowshare; and of her 20 millions of acres of uncultivated soil, there are 17,500,000 acres of woodland awaiting the stroke of the woodman's axe. Of lead and zinc, we produce more than any state in the Union, yes, more than all of the states of the Union combined, or any nation in the world. And yet the geologists tell us that greater stores of mineral wealth lie beneath the surface of our soil than have even been discovered by the drill of the miner or the pick of the prospector. We have within and along our borders 6,000 miles of navigable rivers, a larger number of miles of navigable waterways than any inland state in the Union. By the cultivation of one-half of our 44 millions of acres we produce over 100 million dollars worth of corn each year, nearly 1 million dollars in value of this product for every county in the state. Missouri lies in the very center of the American corn belt, and there are no corn lands superior to those found in this state. One farmer in Missouri grows more corn each year on his farm than is grown in the nine States of Utah, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Rhode Island, Wyoming and Nevada combined. Three counties in Missouri grow more corn than nineteen other states, in which is included all of New England. These three counties grow more corn than do the states of New York, Maryland or West Virginia. Three times as much corn is produced in Missouri each year as is produced in all of South America, three-fifths as much as in all of Europe and nearly one-half as much as is produced in the whole world outside of the United States. The average yield of corn in Missouri per acre is forty bushels, a higher average yield than in any state in the Union, and yet by the proper application of the principle of conservation in the use and cultivation of the soil, this production could doubtless be increased 25 per cent. And by the proper use of the uncultivated corn lands of the state, our production could be made greater than any state in the United States, and probably greater than the entire corn production of Europe.

The same thing is true as to our other important crops. Our average wheat crop sells for 30 millions of dollars, which is also the average value of our crop of hay which is sold upon the markets, not including the immense acreage of blue grass, clover and timothy pastures.

THE OZARK REGION.

The character of our soil, as well as of our climate, is peculiarly

favorable for the growing of grass. Grass is not only the greatest of all agricultural products, but its production under most favorable conditions is an indication of the most desirable place of habitation for man. One of the early travelers who investigated the conditions in the TransMississippi country, who was also much of a philosopher, made the statement that the best place for human habitation is in that country farthest south where grass grows well. And the country farthest south where grass grows well is to be found in the Ozark region of Missouri. When the first Spanish explorers crossed the Mississippi, they found the largest herds of buffalo, elk, deer and antelope feeding upon the splendid pastures of blue stem and of blue grass in what is now the southern half of Missouri. Prior to the coming of the white man, this region was a vast upland prairie, noted for its splendid growth of grass and favorable hunting ground. And so long as the Indians remained, the growth of trees, except along the rivers and the streams, was prevented by the burning of the grass each year. But with the coming of the white man and the driving out of the Indian, the growth of the timber extended back from the rivers and the streams, and what was once the greatest pasture in the country is now covered by a growth of timber.

Through the proper application of the principles of conservation, this timber can be cleared in such a manner as to restore the growth of blue grass and of blue stem to make this region the most favorable for dairying and the raising of live stock that the country affords, and at the same time preserve enough of the trees to give the natural commercial advantages to be derived therefrom.

Of our 20 millions of acres of uncultivated soil, three and one-half million consist of swamp and overflowed lands to be found in the valleys of our great rivers. If this land were reclaimed by the application of the principles of conservation, so as to produce a certain annual harvest, it would produce enough of agricultural wealth each year to feed all of the people of Missouri, and leave the balance of our 23 millions of acres for the production of surplus products.

In support of this statement, let me refer you to facts of history, for Egypt, during the palmiest days of her civilization, never had under cultivation to exceed six millions of acres in the Valley of the Nile. And yet these six millions of acres supported a population of 10 millions of people. Holland reclaimed from the sea two and one-half millions of acres of land which supported a population of 8 millions of people. And yet the swamp and flooded lands of Missouri are as rich as the reclaimed lands of Holland or the Valley of the Nile.

THE NEED OF SWAMP LAND RECLAMATION.

The reason why these lands do not now produce a certain annual harvest is largely due to the fact that the National Government does not keep within their banks the waters of its navigable rivers. During

the course of the last ten years, the National Government has spent 125 millions of dollars to put water on to three and one-half millions of arid lands in the West. I am confident that there is no one present here today who objects to the policy that has been followed by our National Government for the reclamation of the arid lands of the West by the conservation of our waters for the purpose of irrigation. Though mistakes may have been made in isolated cases, the general policy meets with national approval. But I feel that the time will come; in fact, I believe it has come, when the national government should be willing to spend at least a small portion of the money that it uses to put water on the arid lands of the West to keep the water of its navigable rivers off of the rich lowlands of the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers. It takes an expense of from $25 to $40 an acre to put water on to the arid lands of the West, and yet it is the estimate of engineers that by an expense of not to exceed $5.00 an acre the water of the navigable rivers can be kept off of the lowlands adjacent thereto.

This question is of importance not only to the people of Missouri, but to the people of the entire country. There are in the Mississippi and Missouri river valleys over 20 millions of acres of the richest lands in the world, which are now impaired for the purpose of cultivation by reason of swamps and overflows. If this land were reclaimed and made to yield a certain annual harvest, it would almost double the agricultural production of the Mississippi Valley. And the reason why it is not so productive is, as I have said, because the national government does not keep the waters of its navigable rivers within their banks. By doing so the reclamation of this swamp and flooded land would not only be made possible, but by such a policy our navigable rivers would be improved and made more dependable as a means of inland transportation. And it little profits us to increase the production of our fertile fields. unless that production can be carried from the farms to the market in such a way and for such a charge as will adequately compensate for the labor thereby expended.

And if the principles of conservation were given a practical and effective application in improving our rivers by the keeping of their waters within their banks, by using in a proper and a scientific way our uncultivated soil, the railroads would be unequal to the task of carrying such an immensely increased agricultural production from the farm to the market. Then the question of water transportation would become a necessity and, in my judgment, a satisfactory progress in the improvement of our inland waterways for the purposes of transportation will not be made until our agricultural production is increased to such an extent that existing railroads are unequal to its transportation.

THE PROBLEM OF ADEQUATE PRODUCTION.

I have outlined to you, in a most general way, some of the important phases of the question of conservation which find a practical

application to the conditions existing today in the State of Missouri. Experts tell us that over 40 per cent of our farm lands are being cultivated in a way which tends to decrease, rather than to increase, their productivity. Such a policy must inevitably result in the impoverishment of the Nation; because when you destroy the productivity of the soil, then do you strike at the very foundation of national prosperity and happiness. Agriculture, the oldest of occupations, is clearly the most important. The value of that which is produced from the soil exceeds the value of all other products of human labor. Up to the present time in this country, we have been peculiarly fortunate in that our production has exceeded consumption and the supply has always been greater than the demand. The result has been that the American people alone, of all the people of the world, have eaten the same kind of food. And no stronger influence could exist as against the creation of classes and castes in our population than for all of the people to eat the same kind of food.

But with the consumption increasingly more rapidly than production, and the consequent increase in the cost of the necessities of life, there shall come a time when many will not be able to secure the same kind of food that is enjoyed by others. Then will there come a disturbing and dangerous influence which will threaten our society and our institutions. Statistics tell us of a constantly decreasing surplus of production. Our balance of trade is rapidly becoming confined to the exports of cotton. And if the present tendency continues, in a few years we will consume all of the products of our grain and of our live stock and have none to sell in other lands. And when this condition is followed by a time that it will be necessary to import the necessities of life, then will exist conditions which will be the cause of concern, as well as a reflection upon the American people for their capacity to use in a proper manner the great natural resources with which nature has endowed them.

I feel, however, that the American people have demonstrated most impressively their capacity for self-government by the effective manner in which they have taken up this important question of conservation. Ten years ago, the term was hardly known outside of the laboratory of the scientist and the class-room of the agricultural college. Today it is almost a household term. Under the inspiring leadership of that great American, Theodore Roosevelt, the American people have taken up the consideration and the practical application of this important national policy. And this splendid Congress today, assembled in this progressive and developing city, is an evidence of the fact that the interest in this question is by no means subsiding.

I welcome you to Missouri and voice the sentiment of her people when I say we hope that your deliberations and discussions will contribute to the practical and effective application of that great public policy that you are gathered here to consider.