620 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



ANNUAL ADDRESS. 



Delivered by Rev. George McCoemick, before the Monterey District Agricultural Asso- 

 ciation, Salinas City, October 5, 1888. 



Mr. President, Members op the Agricultural Association, Ladies 

 and Gentlemen: As I understand the duty I have somewhat rashly 

 assumed at the eleventh hour of addressing you this evening, it is largely 

 that of a Fourth of July oration, based not so much on the political and 

 general greatness of our common country as on the material resources 

 particularly represented at this fair. The subject is neither unfamiliar 

 nor uninteresting to me. I am not in the embarrassing predicament of 

 the Chaplain of George III, of England, after the Revolutionary war. The 

 King appointed a day of thanksgiving. The Chaplain came to him to 

 inquire what they were to give thanks for. " Was it the loss of thirteen 

 of the richest colonies of the kingdom?" "No," said the King. "Was 

 it for the loss of the fine armies that had suffered defeat in America ? " 

 " No." " Well, what was it for?" " Why," said the King, "because the 

 thing is no worse than it is." He was making the best of a bad bargain. 

 The people who live in Monterey and San Benito Counties certainly have 

 natural advantages which relieve them from all embarrassments of this 

 kind. We have a goodly heritage, and the lines have fallen to us in 

 pleasant places. It is hard for an old resident to understand how a new 

 comer can be homesick or discontented. This is not one of the places 

 that are celebrated as good to emigrate from. It is justly celebrated as 

 one of the best under the sun to immigrate to. The unprecedented tide of 

 immigration that has rolled in upon California during the last few years, 

 and of which our particular section has had its full share, considering the 

 disadvantages under which we have labored, and which I will mention 

 more particularly further on, fully vindicate the above statement. 



Why, then, is our country one of the best under the sun to immigrate to? 

 In other words, what are the essential elements of a good country, and 

 how can these best be handled so as to make the most of them? 



1. Rich and varied natural resources and attraction. We certainly have 

 these. The farmer finds here the richest of soils. In this respect we have 

 scarcely a superior in all our State. Our ranch owners have no cause to 

 complain. As evidence of their prosperity, I notice a number of fine ranch 

 houses in process of erection, of a class that does great credit to our valley. 

 The thousands of dollars thus invested have been made on the ground, and 

 not imported from abroad. Others of a like class will soon follow, greatly 

 adding to the thrifty appearance of the country, and helping to invite new 

 settlers of the best class. The stock raiser finds here multipled advantages. 

 He needs no expensive provision for long, bitter winters. The blizzard 

 never finds him. The varied growths of hills and plains are all in his 

 favor. The fruitgrower has long since passed the period of experiment. 

 Enough has been done to prove that in quality and variety of our fruits we 

 can compete well with any other county in the State. This is an industry 

 that should receive the special attention of our people, and will well repay 



