OTTAWA COUNTY. 



Eastmanville, Ottawa Co., Mich., / 

 March 15th, 1856. \ 



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



I herewith transmit a copy of articles of association, duly signed and 

 •acknowledged by twelve persons, inhabitants of Ottawa county, who have 

 organized themselves, with their associates and successors, into an asso- 

 ciation to be designated and known in law as " The Ottawa County 

 Agricultural Association," to be filed in your office, in conformity to 

 act No. 80, Session Laws 1855. 



The farmers of our county have awakened, and a county organization 

 is effected, and we trust to continue icide-awaTce for all time to come. 

 An effort was made four years ago, a meeting held, officers elected, a 

 fair appointed. Unfortunately, the day was gloomy, dark, it rained, and 

 our farmers all preferred to shelter themselves under the protection of 

 the lofty, thick, wide spread foliage of the deep evergreen heaven point- 

 ed pine, to which all eyes were then bent for the golden harvest, rather 

 than to think of extracting it from where it really lies hid in the soD. 

 Our efforta slept — but the few pine lands in this county, which only 

 border our rivers and rivulets in narrow belts, and which are rapidly 

 and "beautifully'' growing mighty less every year, are now completely 

 monopolized by the few, \shile the bulk of our people are at liberti/ to 

 turn their attention to their own true interests, and to the future great 

 and staple interest of our county, which is farming — wheat and stock 

 growing in particular — in which, when our resources shall be fully de- 

 veloped, in due time, we are not to be excelled by any sister county in 

 the State. We have caught their inspiration, and a goodly number of 

 our hard fisted and intelligent yeomanry have come forward and paid 



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