THIRD DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 263 



annual gatherings of the farmers, be made plain to all interested in 

 this branch of agriculture by lecturers, who, in their laboratories, 

 have analyzed the soils and their products and discovered what 

 ingredients it is necessary to return to the soils in order to keep up 

 their virgin fertility, and who have put their discoveries into practice 

 by engaging in the real business of wheat culture, and demonstrating 

 to their fellow-farmers the value of their precepts by the success of 

 their experiments. I say that our State Agricultural Society has now 

 for twenty-seven successive years held annual fairs, and has had 

 twenty-seven annual addresses delivered before the assembled farm- 

 ers, with the avowed object of bringing about by the means stated, 

 improvement and advancement in agricultural knowledge and agri- 

 cultural practices. But who have been the teachers selected ? Who 

 have delivered these twenty-seven annual agricultural addresses? 

 Of all the men that have been called by the society to teach practical 

 agriculture on these occasions, but three have been practical farmers. 

 All the others have been lawyers, politicians, doctors, and ministers 

 of the gospel. Though all eminent in their several professions, they 

 have been conspicuous in their lack of a practical knowledge of that 

 greatest of arts and that greatest of sciences, the art and science of 

 agriculture. Of the three practical farmers who have been so distin- 

 guished by our State Agricultural Society, one is the pioneer farmer 

 of northern California — the founder of your own beautiful city, and 

 a strong friend of your present district agricultural society, the first 

 annual exhibition of which we have met here on this occasion to 

 commemorate.- 



Mr. President, when there are so many to select from, and so few 

 are selected, the favored ones have reason to be proud. But, sir, I 

 am inclined to think that the invitation of your Board was sent to 

 me for other reasons, as well as because you recognized in me a prac- 

 tical farmer. You were aware that I was somewhat active in the 

 preparation and passage of the law under which the State Agricul- 

 tural Society is at present organized, as well as that by which the 

 State is divided into agricultural districts and the several district 

 associations are formed. 



Hence, it may be appropriate on this occasion to briefly state the 

 reasons that prompted the preparation and passage of these laws, and 

 the results it is desired to bring about by their operation. The pres- 

 ent State Constitution contains a clause prohibiting the appropriation 

 of any money from the State treasury, by the Legislature, to any cor- 

 poration or association not exclusively under the management and 

 control of the State. When this Constitution was adopted, therefore, 

 it left the State Society and all the county and district societies with- 

 out recognition by the State Government. However much good they 

 might be doing in the way of encouragement of immigration and the 

 development of the material resources ; however much they might 

 he inducing capital and enterprise to come into the State and engage 

 in agriculture, manufactures, and internal improvements ; however 

 much they might, by their annual fairs, by their correspondence, 

 and by other means, be improving the breeds and value of the 

 domestic animals of the State ; whatever good they might be capable 

 of doing in the way of introducing and improving labor-saving 

 machinery, by which the expense of production would be lessened, 

 and the profits of the same increased, and whatever good might grow 

 out of their efforts to spread correct agricultural practices in the way 



