The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-08
ANNUAL ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT LEE l OF THE AGRICUL TURAL ASSOCIATION

At the night session Of the Cotton States Association of Commissioners of Agriculture. President T.. e. Lee of Louisiana delivered his annual address as follows:
 ''Gentiemen of the Association.
 Tt affords me a great deal of gratifica- -tion to see such numerous and strong
 representation here today at this. the fifth annual meeting of otr Cotton
 States Association of Commissioners Of
 Agriculture. Such gathering of de-
 voted and earnest representatives speaks
 volumes for the interest manifested tn oaiz' deliberations. and augurs well for the future. Nothing can be satisfactorily accomplished in theee days without organization, aEd it seems strange, althcush only tco true. that. as class,
 those of our citizens engaged in agricul- tural pursuits. sesm to pay less heei to the great importance of this matt ST. and stand almost Is. lated and alone among the other great industrial bodies, 50 far as organization for mutual benefit is concerned.
 "As section of our great country, however, the South is certainly forging to the front in matters agricultural. Not only does she continue to derive large revenues from. and mssstain her supre-
 
 addition, her unexcelled possibilities to
 produce products of almost every varie- ty and kind, is demanding the attention of asFdculturists from many other parts of the Union, and attracting home-seekers
 from almost every point of the compass.
 Unity. therefore. of thought and of ef-
 fort, for mutual advancement, is an es- sentia1 we should possess, both as lead- CTS of agricultural thought, for the bet terment of our respective States, and ss practical agriculturists, if we expect to forcibly meet the conditions which at present prevail, and subsequently, will as- suredly confront us, on account of twentieth century progress and advance meut.
 Live Stock Industry. 'The great livestock interests should be fostered and encouraged throughout our Southern country, and especially so In cattle, now that tls carrIor of Southe. n cattle fever has been lowered through the
 most praiseworthy efforts of our expo 1- ment station workers. It is indeed en- couraging to know of the influx into the South of such large numbers of pure-bred animals of both the beef and dairy types of cattle since artificial immunisation to l this dreaded malady in susceptible practical operation. In our future agri-
 cultural prosperity. cattle. In connection
 with diversity of products, are sure to command c most prominent place. That animals of the beef type can be brought to as great perfection in the Southern
 States as in the Western States, or in any other section of the country, has been
 unmistakably demonstrated by a number of our experiment stations, and by prac-
 teal stockmen themselves.
 '"The dairy industry, also, has received saif1zfQnftal frnOaf1ta hv %tnia rfAN al
 method of rendering immune pure-bred
 animals that may. from time to time, be needed from above the fever line" for
 the improvement of our dairy stock.
 '"The horse and mule industry seems of later years to have occupied the more
 serious attention of our people, and has
 yielded most gratifying results, especial
 iy in States bordering on the Gulf. Hogs, too, and sheep, are being raised with greater intelligence and to greater perfection by many; and in fact, all varieties H domestic farm animals are becoming to be looked upon by uur people as essentially necessary adjuncts to suc- cessful aiming practice: and still, there is yet plenty of room for general improve
 ment along this important line of agricul- tural industry in the majority of our Got ton States.
 As to Forage Crops. NO sSction oL U1ls great country OT ours can compare with OUT cotton Stat as in the number and variety, and in the
 vastness in supply of food materials for
 the upbuilding of ths i've industry,
 which I believe Is yet to play one of, if not the leading part in our agricultural dev elopment With our native and othe. grasses, cur rich legJminous and other forage crops. 3te nutritious bi-produ ,ts
 Of our cotton and corn fields, our oil and
 rice mills. and our sugar factories, besides the cereal, root, and other crops which
 we are capable of producing, where on
 the face of this green earth. could the
 earnest, intelligent, and progressive stock
 man look for so 'goodly country And
 yet, there is still work ahead of us to be accomplished, in order that our livestock