296 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



throw, and we consider that as one of the great needs that 

 has been alluded to. And we want to express our thanks to 

 those who were willing to accept the invitation to come into 

 the prayer-meeting, for we believed that it was a fit thing to 

 mingle prayer with the consideration of the great subject in 

 which you are so constantly at work. You may wonder why 

 we are so much interested here to-night. It is for one of the 

 best reasons in the world, sir. You were going to talk about 

 small farming. My dear sir, we are cut up into such small 

 sections that our farming is almost infinitesimal. Our gardens 

 are almost turned up edgewise. We are trying to see how 

 much we can get off from every rod of land. We have been 

 drinking in your address, and when spring comes, we shall 

 hope to profit very largely by its suggestions. 



We rejoice with you here for another thing. You have 

 brought with you, Mr. President, a body of sober men. We 

 are indebted to the farmers of this convention, and of this 

 State, for examples of sobriety for which we want to express 

 our profound thanks. There was a time when farmers were 

 not the most sober class of men ; there have been times when 

 farmers were not the most honest sort of men ; and this re- 

 minds me of a single remark in the address. The lecturer 

 Bays we want to make the most of ourselves, we want to make 

 the most of our work. Now, at the present time, the farms 

 are wonderful in their productive power. Take, for example, 

 the matter of beef. Time was when we could not get more 

 than six, eight, ten, or twelve pounds of steak out of a quarter, 

 but at the present time, we can get three hundred pounds of 

 sirloin steak out of an ox, and have nothing left but the hoofs 

 and horns ! For this we are indebted to the farming of the 

 present time. We hope that you will come another time, and 

 when you come the next time, perhaps you will be able to 

 show us some other direction in which you have exceeded 

 your history in the same way. We welcome you most cordi- 

 ally this time, and when you go, you go with our grateful 

 thanks that you have been among us, and we want you to 

 come again as soon as you can. 



