Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-11
Talks of Conditions in This Country
and Great Britain.
EN- THOUSAND CHILDREN ATTEND
Pupils from Public Schools Delight in
the Exposition.
ECoND DAY Is A BIG SUCCESS
Many Prizes Are Awarded 60 Me-
braska Exhibitors - Country
Life Commission Holds
Its Last Meeting.
ATTENDANCE.

ATTENDANCE.
Bright and warm weather greeted the
second day Of the National Corn exposi-
tion and when the gates opened at
o'clock Thursday morning the buildings
were brilliantly Illuminated with streaks
Of sunlight as though tens OF thousands
OF electric lights were doing their best to
make the exposition visitors CHEEKY.
More school children came and kept up
a constant scream and laugh. as though
they were having the time Of their lives;
the runways in the Auditorium were con-
verted into chute-the-chutes and bump
the-bumps by the children. and they
poured down over the rubber mat COW
cred floors like varicoored ears OF corn
pouring out OF an automatic corn husker.
The program for the morning opened
early, and before 10 o'clock the audience
room Of the exposition was well filled with
visitors to hear the music and the address
by Sir Horace Plunkett. parlamentarian
and owner Of lands in the west, who has
made a lifelong study OF the country life
problem in England, Ireland and America,
as we'll as in India.
In Great Britain Sir Horace Plunkett is
a popular man. He is the Luther Bur
bank, Henry Wallace and p. G. Holden of
Great Britain, and the large audience which
greeted him Thursday morning and heard
his address on ''The Country Life Prob
lem,' were not disappointed
other Addresses Cancelled.
other addresses were cancelled for tho
morning, Prof. r. A. Moore of the Wis
consin Agricultural college was called
home Wednesday evening, while Samuel
II. Smith OF the Chicago Board Of Trade
| expressed his desire to address the grain
dealers and farmers In the small lecture
room I'm the Industrial building. Mr.. Smith
spoke on the Commercial Grading of
Grain" in this building at O'Clock this
afternoon.
1t was Agricultural day" and the farm
machinery has attracted more than usual
attention as well as the state exhibits; the
girls and young women OF the domestic
| science department have heard severa
short addresses and been entertained by "a
! prominent cereal manufacturer at lunch
con; the students judging contest has kept
many from the agricultural colleges busy
and the awards will probably be announced
the first thing Friday morning; the Mex
lean delegation was completed by the ar
| rival of Zaferino Dominguez with the
Mexican trophy cup and everything has
proceeded as planned.
Country Life Problem.
Speaking in the lecture room, Sir Horace
PIunkett said Of the Country Life Prob
lem:
'I cannot conceive of two peoples de-
panding upon agriculture for their pToi-
perlty who have to deal with more opposite
natural conditions than do the people o.
Ireland and those of the farming sections
Of Nebraska and the adjoining states. II
were to presume to speak to farmers IN
the corn belt, out of my Irish agricultural
experiences, l should not expect my aud
cnce to remain.
To-day there are about 4.250.o0o OF people
in Ireland The productive area Of the farm
lands is only 100000 acres. and the num-
Der of separate farms is roughly estimated
at 100000. So II all the land were divided
equally among these farmers there would
only be enough to give thirty acres 20
every farming family. As it is, there are
over 10000 farms, the homes, presumab y
OF about 100000 Of the population, varying
from one to fifteen acres in extent, mostly
Of poor land and in the cllnatically least
favored portion of the island. / am con-
vinced that If we in Ireland had a tenth
part of your natural advantages we should
very soon make Ireland into a country
which would forget that it had ever been
called 'distressful.'
PIunkett's Formula.
I'VE have formula which in tho fewest
words describes our entire scheme OF ~
form-better farming, better business. bet
ter living
"As regards better farming, no man can
deny that the progress effected IN the
last three decades in the corn belt has ex-
ceeded what could possibly have been an
toI hxr
years ago. From 70 to SO l was engag d
in ranching in wyoming but ! frequently
had occasion 10 visit farms in Nebraska },
Iowa and Illinois In Illinois and parts OF
Iowa l often saw good farming; I occasion
ally saw a good farmer in Nebraska, bat
as far as / could make out most OF the So
called farmers In this state would more
} correctly have been described as land spec
ulators, who might just well have been
in the corner lot Industry In actual or
prospective cities for all the addition they
were making to the national wealth. Their
working capital had been absorbed in the
purchase Of the greatest possible number
of acres regardless OF their means of cul-
tivating the land according TO any accepted
system Of husbandry
1T was explained TO me that more money
could be made in this manner than by an
was no desire for or belief IN agrlcult n d
education. The Department OF Agriculture G.
one OF the greatest governmental institu-
tons the world has produced, was regarded
as a mere source Of soft. Eat jobs. he on .
feature of lis operation having any aTl
cultural resemblance Aeing graft
Visits Nebraska College,
Marvellous indeed, has been the change
Two days ago l visited the Agricultural
college at the Nebraska university and yes
terdsy l took look around this exposi.
tion. Had / remained in my own country
from the days when l first became ac-
quainted with the life OF which / have
just given you the impression left upon my
mind. until now, ! could not have believed
that in so short time such progress could
have been made along my three lines OF
adyance-better farming, better business
! and better living.
! would not say . word upon furthel