Above all they raise their certain
crops irrespective of what rains the heavens may send."
Bob admitted that electricity and irrigation are good things.
"These advantages have drawn people. I am not going to bore you with a
lot of statistics, but the population of all White Oaks County, for
instance, is now above fifty thousand people, where before was a scant
ten. But how much agricultural wealth do you suppose these people
_export_ each year? Not how much they _produce_, but their net
exportations?"
"Give it up."
"Fifty million dollars worth! That's a marvellous per capita."
"It is indeed," said Bob.
"Now," said Oldham impressively, "that wealth would be absolutely
non-existent, that development could not have taken place, _did_ not
take place, until men of Mr. Baker's genius and courage came along to
take hold. I have personally the greatest admiration for Mr. Baker as a
type of citizen without whom our resources and possibilities would be in
the same backward condition as obtains in Canada."
"I'm with you there," said Bob.
"Mr. Baker has added a community to the state, cities to the
commonwealth, millions upon millions of dollars to the nation's wealth.
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