MICHIGAN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 347 



Hon. Henry Chamberlain, of Three Oaks, the only living member of 

 the society who took part in its organization in 1849, being present as 

 gnest of the society, was invited to address the meeting. 



Mr. Chamberlain responded as follows: 



ADDRESS OF MR. CHAMBERLAIN. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen — With my father's family, 

 nearly sixty-two years ago, I came to the southwestern part of Michi- 

 gan. 



In the township in which I settled it was heavily timbered, the 

 stumps 3'et standing in all the clearings and girdled trees were yet 

 standing on all the cultivated lands. With a few exceptions there 

 were no highways; we followed blazed trails or rode in wagons drawn 

 by oxen over corduroy roads. 



I planted my first corn in Michigan in the spring of 1844. The tim- 

 ber had been cut in winter and the brush burned in the spring. We 

 planted the corn with axes, with the logs lying upon the ground. We 

 cut down the weeds with a hea\^" hoe, and gathered in due time reason- 

 able crops. Threshing was done with a flail or the grain was tramped 

 out by horses. The small grain was cut with a sickle or cradle. We 

 knew nothing of the modern improved implements of husbandry which 

 are upon the farms today. 



But skipping the preliminaries and getting down to the point. I was 

 elected in 1848 a member of the legislature which assembled at Lan- 

 sing in January, 1849. It was the second legislature which had as- 

 sembled at Lansing. Lansing was then in a primitive state, the capital 

 having been established there only two years before, when there was 

 but one house and a sawmill in the township. 



With the exception of a few people who were residing there, the leg- 

 islature made up the larger portion of the population. Governor Ran- 

 son who had been a judge on the bench was the owner of a fine farm 

 lying within the present limits of the city of Kalamazoo and was taking 

 great interest in the improvement of the agricultural industry of Mich- 

 igan. 



There were several preliminary meetings to talk over the question 

 of forming a State agricultural society, which finally resulted in a meet- 

 ing held on March 7, 1849, at which it was voted to organize. Gov. 

 Ranson was presiding and I was secretary of the meeting. It happened 

 to be on the twenty-fifth anniversary of my birthday. St. Patrick's day 

 in the morning. 



The important question at that meeting aside from deciding to organ- 

 ize was whether to hold a fair that year or not. During the meeting 

 Lieut. Gov. Fenton, who was not only an able man, but an eloquent 

 orator, opposed holding a fair. At the conclusion of his remarks 

 everything was quiet. I heard a little rap on the desk behind me. Gov. 

 Ranson, knowing that I had taken an interest in having the fair held 

 that year, plainly intimated to me that I had better answer, which I 

 did and it was voted to hold a fair in the city of Detroit. 



The fair was held on the Cass farm and it is probable that any school 

 district in a settled part of Michigan could today make a better exhibit 

 than was there shown. 



