MK. CHAMBERLAIN'S ADDRESS. 205 



ones — ^less of discussions on general subjects of broad application 

 and more of tilings of local interest. The general principles of 

 agriculture, and the science of husbandry in its growth and expan- 

 sion, come to us in a constant flow, if we are receptive, without 

 the intervention of such meetings as this. The locality needs in 

 large shai-e the aid, advice and encouragement of this assembled 

 wisdom 



But there is a slight difBculty present, in the fact that the most 

 of you, gentlemen, and these delegates from abroad, are strangers 

 in the land ; and that no agricultural survey of this portion of the 

 State has been made. We have had a pi^eliminary geological 

 survey that included this region, but was suspended before reach- 

 ing practical results. Under these conditions I see no better way 

 than for us to vacate this hall for one day and give ourselves up to 

 a field excursion. Now that you have your farmer-boots on, Mr. 

 President, and have penetrated to the interior of the State for the 

 first time, we hope to see you thrust the heel of your boot into 

 Piscataquis soil and turn it up to the view of these professors 

 here, that they may say something about it before they go home. 

 If tliey are not ready to do that, we may expect them to " make a 

 note on't." We want these students to look at the soil and the 

 plants here. We want you, Mr. President, to return to Hancock 

 — to your Blackstone and Greenlief, to your spherical Trigonome- 

 try and Nautical Almanac, a wiser man — and if you are not a better 

 one, don't lay the blame to our example. We want you to go with 

 us a little way out, to the top of a granite rock a mile in diameter 

 (one not large enough for the geologists to see when they passed 

 this way) and look over the acres of wood where we villagers 

 hold our reserved fuel, so you may not wonder that one here 

 should elect to ride such a hobby as that of planting and protect- 

 ing forest trees. We want you to go past some of our farms and 

 note some things that we have not done. To s^e few sheep and 

 many colts in a scrub-race for life in rough pastures ; to see few 

 cows, and they half starved because of the many grasshoppers 

 and not enough of fodder-corn ; to see ill-favored swamps and bar- 

 ren plats at the door, and the farmer hauling manure a long way 

 beyond, because the land is better a half mile away ; to see the 

 home of the family in the bleakest aspect with no attempt to grow 

 a screen of trees ; to see the best possible provision made to se- 

 cure the biggest sort of snow drifts in the roads in winter. I 

 leave the picture unfilled. 



