SION FRIDAY OCTOBER 8, 1920

The session was called to order by President Linton at 10 o'clock.

THE PRESIDENT: I wish first to beg the pardon of the membership of the
Association for the little time that I have been able to give to the
preparation of this particular paper. To illustrate how limited that
time has been, starting from Michigan prior to our meeting yesterday I
had less than twenty-four hours to get to Washington. It was necessary
that I should call a meeting together at a little town in Michigan where
the regular train did not stop. In order to get that train it was
necessary to send a man to buy a ticket to that particular point and as
he climbed off that train I climbed on. The conductor thought we should
be held up for a conspiracy for stopping a train of that character. On
reaching Detroit there were a few minutes between trains. After landing
in Buffalo I found that there were fifteen minutes to make connections,
and after getting on that train I found our good Brother Pomeroy aboard
and he had some fine drinks and other things from his home farm so that
it was really the midnight hour before I could commence on this
document.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS

HONORABLE WILLIAM S. LINTON, SAGINAW, MICHIGAN

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:

I well realize that it is an extreme honor that has come to me in having
been named as your President, conferring the privilege also of presiding
at this important meeting, your Tenth Annual Session. It has been my lot
for almost three score years to mingle largely in civic affairs through
organized efforts, for man's betterment along many lines. But with all
this experience I do not recall any single group, or undertaking of
greater possible and probable value to the people of this country and
especially the next and all future generations than the purpose for
which we gather today. It is of such vast importance that earnestly and
enthusiastically we find foremost in the work, "the best equipped, most
intelligent, progressive and successful Agricultural Department" of any
government on earth. We are signally honored by the co-operation of one
of the most important members of the President's Cabinet, the Secretary
of Agriculture, assisting in our program by the presence of leading
officials of his staff, all endeavoring in every possible way to supply
excellent sustaining foods to mankind, and to add from many choice
products of field or of forest, to the joy and comforts o