LINCOLN COUNTY AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTU- 

 RAL SOCIETY. 



To Eon. S. L. Goodale, Secretary of the Board of Agriculture: 



Dear Sir: — In conformity to the requirements of law, I herewith 

 transmit a condensed statement of the doings of this Society for 

 the current year, 1863 :. 



The Tenth Annual Show and Fair of this Society was held at 

 Wiscasset, October 14th, 15th and 16th, 1863. 



The Annual Address was delivered by S. L. Boardman, Esq. of 

 Norridgewock. 



Our Exhibition, in many departments, was quite up to the 

 average of former years ; but taken as a whole, our anticipations 

 were not realized. Lincoln county is not strictly an agricultural 

 county. Very few farmers cultivate crops or raise stock, other 

 than for home consumption. The result is, we get no reliable 

 statements of mode of culture, cost of producing, or profits real- 

 ized from the various departments of agriculture. The music of 

 the carpenter's Axe and Saw, has more charms for our people, 

 than the cultivation of soil. 



The farmer's wood-lot is another source of revenue, or bank of 

 deposit, from which they too often draft, to the neglect of the cul- 

 tivated portions of their domain. 



Notwithstanding these drawbacks to agricultural pursuits in this 

 county, we still see decided improvements in many departments, 

 since the establishing of this society, proving conclusively that, 

 although a large fund of general information may not be gathered, 

 yet, the local benefits derived from our yearly shows, very far 

 exceed the expense incurred. Ten years ago, but little interest 

 was manifested in the improvement of stock ; now, nearly every 

 farmer prides himself upon his Durham, Devon, or Hereford. Ten 

 years ago, fruit culture was a foregone conclusion ; now, how 

 changed, as our late fairs have demonstrated. Under-draining, ten 

 years ago, was almost an unheard of thing in this vicinity ; now, 

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