720 



lawyers — rouse up into action their dormant energies and their sleepy 

 wita 



Farmers of Monroe ! Let me say to you, as you honor your occupa- 

 tion, educate your sons thoroughly to it, and teach them to respect it 

 fey mating it worthy their respect Do not think or act as though 

 you thought that anybody knew enough for a farmer — if you do, you 

 may find much to your regret that your most intelligent sons will leave 

 you to seek elsewhere that field for active minils which you do not 

 provide them with at home, and that your daughters, too, will find 

 their country home irksome to them, and feel under the ban of society, 

 when they should be its brightest ornaments. But take an opposite 

 •curse, and though politicians may say less about the "honest yeoman- 

 ly," they will think a great deal more of them. 



I cajinot stop now — for I dread to make these remarks tedious to 

 you — to recapitulate the progress agricultural science has been making 

 in the past few years. That progress has been unprecedented, though 

 hereafter we cannot doubt it will be still more rapid. As I look 

 around upon your exhibition to-day, I see that here you have been 

 fully up with the times. Your noble fruit, your enormous vegetableSp 

 your excellent specimens of grain, your choice stock, your matchless 

 horses, all give evidence that old Monroe has indeed among her agri- 

 cultural population men who honor their profession, and who are making 

 it respected as it deserves to be. I cannot stop to praise the specimens 

 «f delicate needle-work, and the other evidences of tasteful labor by 

 fair hands which are exhibited around us, for in praising them I should 

 only repeat what every one who has seen them has already said, and 

 thus I should be in danger of having it said of me, that I am only 

 telling over to you what you yourselves have said, and not telling it half 

 so well as you did. 



It scarcely becomes me, a mere tyro in agriculture, to undertake to 

 drop a word of advice to veteran farmers. But in passing over 

 your county the fact is always prominently presented to my mind that 

 as an agricultural region two things will hereafter require especial at- 

 tention. A considerable portion of it is very rich land, capable of 

 producing not only enormous crops of grass, but of corn likewise, and 

 all root crops — but it is very level, and to bring such crops it must be 

 TMiderdrained. Many of you who have such lands may not be able 



