ANDROSCOGGIN COl^NTY SOCIETY. 227 



objects in a cubic inch of stagnant water. How unfathomable are 

 the mysteries of creation bj -which we are surrounded, and upon 

 which our very life and enjoyment depend ! But this fact will give 

 vou some idea of the insect world, and I trust will be sufficient to 

 show you that book-learning may not be out of place, even in the 

 head of a farmer, and that it may be made of essential service in 

 the work of raising and securing good crops. This book-learning, 

 to which so many farmers object, is but. the result of scientific in- 

 vestigation and practical experiment, all brought together, arranged, 

 and sent out to you in the form of books, pamphlets and papers, 

 that you may see and know, how and what others have done, and 

 what you may do under like circumstances. 



The idea is preposterous, and ruinous to every interest, that we 

 must plod on through all our pursuits, in the old beaten track of 

 past generations. Every advance we have, whether on the farm or 

 in the work-shop, is the result of investigation, experiment and 

 invention, — a seeking out of some new way, or some new help. 

 The rearing of a fine horse, or a valuable yoke of oxen, or a won- 

 derful calf, (as Mr. Cyrus Wheeler, of West Waterville, cail demon- 

 strate,) is not a matter of chance or accident, but of study and 

 calculation. Those machines, by which you reduce the severity of 

 toil and do your work better, are the products of study, genius and 

 industry. You can have no good reason to expect that your stock 

 will be better, or your crops more abundant next year, than they 

 were last, if you pursue the same course. But if you would im- 

 prove these, you must study how — indulge in some experiments, 

 and draw conclusions from results. Resolve that you will do, and 

 the battle is half fought. 



But there are many others here to-day, besides the farmer, who 

 have an interest in these exhibitions, and who may be benefited by 

 them. The mechanical department of your society affords an oppor- 

 tunity, and extends an invitation to every branch of mechanical toil 

 and industry, to be here and take part in these proceedings. Your 

 company is desired, that you may receive new ideas, and gather up 

 new suggestions ; for anything and everything that inspires in you 

 or others, thought or inventive genius, is of consequence, and pro- 

 ductive of good to the world. Whatever your trade, its products 

 are essential, and we wish to see them here, ofiered for exhibition. 



