Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-20
AFFAIRS At SOUTH OMAHA
Students at State University Agri.
cultural College Visit Yards.
GUESTS OF THE MANAGEMENT
After InspectinE Yards and Packing
Houses banquet Is served In
Exchange and m of
Addresses Delivered.

Agriculture, judging from the attention they
attracted. formed the most important item
of the receipts at the stock yards Thursday.
They arrived at 9 a. m. From the early
inspection of the yards. the visit to the
packers. the lunch at the Exchange dining
hall, the meat cutting exhibitions. to the
banquet and the entertainment following,
everything combined for the comfort, in
struction or amusement Of the visitors.
The management OF the annual visit to
Omaha was perfect, both from the univer-
sity end of the line and from the efforts OF
Manager Everett Buckingham and his corps
of assistants. Not a hitch nor delay was
recorded from the days beginning to the
end.
Swift and Company laid out a special
exhibit for the instruction Of the students.
1t consisted of an array of packing house
products OF all descriptions. Special atten-
ton was given to exhibits OF carcasses,
showing up the fine points Of profit to be
sought for by the stock breeders. After
viewing the exhibit the young men werc
taken through the packing house. where all
the processes were in operation. The cool
ers were visited and the vast cellars where
the excess OF pork is cured and stored.
Only the broad general impression of the
industry could be hoped for in one day, but
many OF the boys. in their courses, have
made studies of the meat packing Industry.
The processes were largely familiar, in
theory at least, before. the visit.
During the afternoon the Cudahy Pack
ing company and the Armour Packing
company put on a novelty by way
Of a meat cutting exhibition. Armour &
Co, by John O'Hearn. gave a very instruc-
tive lecture in the lobby of the exchange,
Illustrated by the actual carcass. which
was divided as the superintendent talked,
showing exactly what the boys desired to
learn Of the good points in a carcass. A
similar exhibit was given by Mr.. Brahme
Of the Cudahy Packing mpan at the
cattle sales pavilion.
At the close of this exhibition dinner was
served to the students, about $50 in number,
and to some seventy-five guests additional.
The dinner consisted of a sumptuous course
of toast goose, with coffee. Ice cream and
the equipment of a banquet table. The
tables were placed end to end across the
Ginning hall and the students were seated
In rows on either side. Members of the
various stock yards and packing interests,
guests of honor from Omaha, Lincoln and
other cities of the state, occupied the head
table. The speaking after the dinner was
quite as welcome as the viands of the
beard. Prof. II. r. Smith introduced Gem
eral Manager Everett Buckingham as the
POSTMASTER. He. with an eye to brev1ty,
limited the speeches to ten minutes. This
limit was generally observed by the speak
ers. After three cheers, the university yell
and the agricultural yell, Mr.. Buckingham
called en- G. w. Wattles to make the open
ing speech.
Advised to stick to Farms.
Mr.. Wattles declared he was glad he
was raised on a farm and that he had
once attended the Iowa School of Agri-
culture and was proud of the fact that,
although he never finished the course,
he had been given in late years an
honorary degree In the school,. Mr.. Wat
ties said farm boys were welcomed in the
cities as the best and most reliable source
of assistance for the work of the cities;
but he urged the boys to stick to the
farms. saying the farms today offered
by far the better inducements,
Following this speech Senator Thomas
j. Majors made a brief talk on Nebraska
farmers and the methods of fifty years
ago. He said methods in those days were
crude. He told how he had used the
breeching Of a harness to weigh hogs
stringing them up to the old fashioned
s%teelyard. From the days of the pioneers
Senator Majors contrasted the present
dimensions of Nebraska's industries. lie
quoted the figures of the products of the
state and the packing Industry for 1908,
giving Nebraska an emphatically ~flatter-
ing position in the sisterhood of states.
Representative Clark dwelt long on the
benefits of the university training and
told Of the different standpoint the uni
versity bore to other state Institutions.
The penitentiary, the asylum and the va
rious institutes were a drag-a charlt-
able necessity; but the university was a
practical business investment. He said
he, as a member OF the finance commit
tee OF the house of representatives OF
the Nebraska legislature, was glad to re-
port that on Wednesday they had added
$780, 900 to the university appropriation
for the permanent improvements of the
institution. This called forth a great
burst OF applause. He said he hoped It
might be said of the boys assembled that
'they were wise, in heir day"
Leans on the Farmer.
After Mr.. Clark. Senator Donahoe OF
o'Neill made a speech on the necessity OF
the farmer boys studying not only how to
improve the farms. and how to increase
production, but how to grapple with the
great political problems OF the day. Tie
fate of a republican form OF government
depends solely on the intelligence and the
honesty Of the rural population. 1t was this
Influence which must combat the evil for
eign influence so prevalent in all cities. He
ended with an appeal TO the boys to be true
to their convictions. their ideals and their
religion.
DR.. Hall of Lincoln followed, discussing
Nebraska's best product, its boys and girls.
He said the farmers sons were the hope OF
the cities and the great anchor, as 1t were.
to hold the life OF the cities of this country
from the rocks Of decsdence. He said the
farmer boys would continue to come to the
cities. but that the tide would surely turn.
and the time was at hand when the farms
would offer the most flattering induce
ments. He deplored the custom OF retired
farmers leaving the farms to pass a miser-
able, period OF retirement in the villages
and I'm the cities of the state. He hoped
the rising generation would stick to the
farm TO the last and make the country
home a hallowed spot for the passing OF
venerable years.
Regent COPELAND Of the university spoke
briefly in concluding the nroRrau and -