WINTER MEETING. 



The Annual Farmers' Convention, under the auspices of the 

 Board, was held at Waterbury, December 19, 20, and 21, 1883. 

 The attendance, even on the first day, notwithstanding the 

 inclement weather which prevailed, was quite large, and 

 increased at each session, and a very gratifying degree of 

 attention and interest was manifested in all the proceedings. 



The opening meeting was called to order in the City Hall 

 at eleven o'clock on Wednesday, December 19th, by Mr. J. P. 

 Barstovv^ of Norwich, Vice-President of the Board, who said : 



Gentlemen: — The hour having arrived at which this meet- 

 ing was called, the opening prayer will be offered by the Rev. 

 Dr. Anderson, of Waterbury. 



Prayer. 



God, who hast created all things, and dost uphold all things 

 by tlie word of thy power, we come before thee with rever- 

 ence, with thanksgivings, desiring to recognize thy presence, 

 and to bow before thee as humble suppliants. We recognize 

 thy pi-csence in the world around us, in tlie revolving seasons, 

 in tlie laws by which all things are governed. While paying 

 homage to those laws, we would think of thee, who art behind 

 them, and to whom they are the expression of thy purpose, 

 of thy goodness, of thy loving kindness. May they be to us 

 the expression of the divine goodness, of the divine wisdom, 

 and may we reverence thee in all the experiences of our 

 lives. We pray, God, that we may yield ourselves to thy 

 guidance, and in all the affairs of life may we learn to ask 

 what wilt thou have r.s to do ? We thank thee for the chang- 

 ing seasons, for summer and winter, for sunshine and storm. 

 We thank thee for the -fruits of the earth, for we know that 



