STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 127 



the first fair was held in this city, under the direction of the State Agri- 

 cultural Society; and when we compare the condition of the district 

 then, with its condition now, comment is unnecessary. It is to this 

 society that we are greatly indebted for the improvement. We have 

 exchanged the mustang for the thoroughbred roadster and draft horse. 

 We have exchanged the wild Mexican cow for the domestic Durham and 

 Devon ; the coarse, hairy, Mexican sheep for the fine Spanish, French 

 and Saxon}- Merino. We have done more: We have filled our grana- 

 ries, and said to the world, give us commerce, and we will feed you all ; 

 and to-day our State is doing more than her share in feeding the hungry 

 millions. But we must do still more, we must have a commerce of our 

 own — we must have rival lines of steamers, and rival railroads, con- 

 nected with all parts of the world. W% cannot, and ought not, to expect 

 the great margin in grain between this and other countries to continue. 

 Then, let us prepare for such a state of things; let us prepare to produce 

 at less cost; let us prepare to lesson the cost of freight through oqr own 

 State to the seaport, it is an extravagant outrage that it costs as 

 much to take produce from here to San Francisco as it does from 

 there to New York. A great improvement can, and ought to be 

 made, in our manner of shipping, by doing away with the extravagant 

 custom of shipping in sacks. It is more than one-tenth of all the 

 cost of producing, besides the loss of grain and the extra expense 

 of handling. The difference in handling grain in bulk and in sacks is 

 almost incredible, and I would recommend a thorough examination 

 of this subject. I noticed a commercial statement of the shipment of 

 our wheat, of two years ago, I think. We got for it eight millions of 

 dollars; it brought in foreign markets sixteen millions. This shows 

 that it cost one-half of the value of our product to put it in market 

 from San Francisco. Now, at least one-half of the remaining half was 

 paid for home freight and sacking, leaving ortly one-quarter of its real 

 value for the producer. We must reduce the cost of producing and 

 shipping as fast as the foreign demand diminishes, or we will be in the 

 same condition that we were in a few years since — our granaries over- 

 loaded with grain that will not bring the cost of producing. We must 

 encourage immigration to our State What we need is a population of 

 laborers that we can depend upon, to increase our manufactures. The 

 experiments in manufacturing have thus far proved successful. There 

 is no reason why all of our woollen goods, clothing, boots and shoes, 

 sugar, oils, agricultural implements, etc., etc., should not be manufac- 

 tured in our own State. It is but a few years since we imported all our 

 wagons and steam engines; now, who thinks of importing one ? We 

 want cheap labor and cheap capital, and as all operations of capital are 

 based upon labor, we must first have the laborers and we shall be sure 

 of the capital. It is governed by that unerring law of supply and 

 demand, and is sure to flow where profitable and safe investments can 

 be made. 



Much has been done, through the agricultural societies of the State, 

 for the dissemination of. the knowledge -of the advantages that our 

 State possesses, and much is being done, and we now have a powerful 

 auxiliary in the Labor Exchange recently established in San Francisco. 

 This might be extended with profit to the interior. The laborers who 

 come to our shores must be protected from the assaults of those who 

 will not work themselves, or allow others to, unless they can dictate the 

 terms. Labor is a commodity, and its price must be governed by the 

 supply and demand; and all labor associations that attempt to hold it 



