HILLSDALE COUNTY. 



J. C. Holmes, Esq., Sec'i/ Mich. State Agricultural Society: 



Sir — Herewith I Bend you the proceedings of the Hillsdale County 

 Agricultural Society, for the year 1855, from which you will doubtless 

 select some portion which will be of suflBcient interest for you to em- 

 body them in a more permanent form, for the benefit of our agricultu- 

 ral friends throughout the State ; simply remarking that our Society 

 stands high in the esteem of the citizens of the county. Our Annual 

 Fair, held on the 11th, 12th and 13th days of October, at Hillsdale, 

 was probably the largest and best ever held in the county. 2^ot less 

 than 5000 people were in attendance on the last two days of the exhi- 

 bition. The Annual Address was delivered by E. F. Johnstone, Esq., 

 Editor of the Michicran Farmer, which was listened to with delio^ht and 

 profit by the assembled multitude, for a long hour. The general pros- 

 perity of the county is good. Although the wheat crop has sufiered 

 severely by the fly and wet weather in securing the remainder, yet we 

 are not without resources ; spring crops were good, and lands are being 

 better cultivated. Our farmers have learned that if they would have 

 the soil feed them, they noust feed it also. The result a coming up in- 

 stead of a falling back. 



Our Society has two permanently located Fair Grounds; one at 

 Hillsdale and the other at Jonesville; which have each been fitted up 

 by the citizens of the villages in which they are situated, in a very neat 

 and substantial manner, at a cost of more than five hundred dollars each. 

 And while we have taken a deep interest in the subject of agriculture, 

 we have not been unmindful of another noble cause which seems to be 

 deeply imbedded in the hearts of the whole people. I refer to our ed- 



