710 



ELECTION OF OFFICERS. 



On the 11 til the Society elected the following officers for the ensu- 

 ing year : 



President — Alfred G. Bates. 



Vice Presidents — H. Angel, G. Baldwin. 



Executive Committee — L. Darrah, H. Hurd, G. Graham, Wm. Dub- 

 bar, R. Nims. 



Secretary — E. G. Morton. 



ADDRESS 



©BLIVERBD BEFORE THE MOTTROE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL 80C1BTT, AT 

 ITS SIXTH ANNUAL FAIR, OCTOBER IItH, 1855, BY THOMAS M. COOLKT, 

 JBSQ. 



: Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



The mind of man is prone to underestimate present things, and to 

 ^invest with enchanting haloes the objects tJhat.,loonLupj,tQ its yision in 

 the dim regions of the past. 



At our annual agricultural anniversaries, it is worth while occasionally 

 to review our real progress, to compare the present stattis of agricul- 

 tural science with its position in the past, and while cautiously endeav- 

 oring not to be deceived by our enthusiasm for new improvements and 

 experiments, at the s^me time guard against being led astray by our 

 propensity to regard the past as the good old times when men were 

 better, and nature itself more accommodating and bounteous than now. 



The most prominent thing that presents itself to our mind as we 

 begin this review, is the fact that within the last few years the enemies 

 of the farmer have seemed to inciease with great rapidity. 



The early apostbs were fond of likening the progress of the Chris- 

 tian through life, to a warfare, the subject of which was constantly beset 

 by snares, assailed by open and entrapped by concealed enemies, hie 

 weak points insidiously approached with temptations, and his patience 

 taxed with innumerable obstacles, till at length, unless sustained by su- 

 perhuman aid, he falls waaried and discouraged by the way side, and 

 yields himself up with but faint resistance to his great enemy. 



The progress of the farmer through life has always been more than 



