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ledge and information of our sister States, in the various 

 branches of industry, to every county, and as near as possible 

 to each citizen of our State. 



There are so few returns, in detail from county societies, 

 that it is not thought necessary, in this report, to take up 

 the leading articles of the State, such as corn, wheat, cattle, 

 hogs, sheep, oats, hay, &c. 



Whenever the organization is made general and uniform 

 throughout the State, the Board will be able to offer such 

 suggestions as to the leading articles of the country, as it is 

 believed will be useful to the full development of the resources 

 of the State in agriculture, mechanics, and manufactures. 



In comparison with our sister States, this report will 

 compare favorably with their first efforts. In one of the ad- 

 joining States, their first report did not exceed sixty pages. 

 This will exceed two hundred, and we believe equals the re- 

 ports of any of the States of the Union, in their first efforts 

 to furnish information upon their leading industrial produc- 

 tions. 



There is a manifest spirit of improvement abroad in our 

 S tate. We doubt not your honorable body will aid and fur- 

 ther on, by all means within your reach, this great movement 

 of rivalry — this work of competition — this spirit of emula- 

 tion. By this means Indiana may soon stand, not the fourth 

 or fifth State in the Union, but in the elements of true, sub- 

 stantial wealth, the very first. 



JOSEPH A. WRIGHT. 

 President of the Board. 



February 14, 1852. 



