148 STATE BOAED OF AGllICULTUKE. 



But let any one who contemplates entering the field as a speculator disabuse his 

 mind at once, for there have been too many of that class at work already ; while 

 to the industrious, persevering^ man, who can be satisfied with fair returns, the 

 field is a promising one, and well worthy of an investigation. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The afternoon session was opened by Prof. K. C. Kedzie, who gave his lecture 

 on ** Lightning Rods." (See lectures and discussions following this record of 

 the Institutes.) 



Mr, R. C. Carpenter, 0. E. of the Agricultural College, addressed the Insti- 

 tute on 



. FARM MACHINERY AND IMPLEMENTS. 



Machinery of all kinds has been very much improved and very much changed 

 within the last half century. 



Fifty years ago mechanical inventions were few in number, rude, easily con- 

 structed, and producing even rough work only after a vast outlay of time and 

 trouble. With the machinery of that day which was thought to be necessary to 

 produce the few necessities of life, we find man nearly provided by nature. 



In each house were found all the elements of an independent existence : the 

 flax, the brake for dressing it, the little old wheel for spinning it, and the old 

 hand loom for weaving it ; the wheat, the flail for threshing it, the old f anning- 

 mill for winnowing it, or more frequently winnowing it by throwing into the 

 air, and often the pestle for grinding it. 



The old method of haying, with all its tediousness, must still be fresh in your 

 minds. You surely have not forgotten the back-aches engendered by the use of 

 the old-fashioned, straight-handled scythe, nor the seeming insignificance of 

 your hard day's work. In those days, mowing through, haying was nearly done ; 

 but even then many tedious days of work, turning and spreading the swaths and 

 raking by hand, had to elapse before the hay was completely cured. 



These are but few of the many inconveniences to which we were subjected a 

 short time ago. Then our means of locomotion on land were confined exclu- 

 sively to those given by nature either to ourselves or to animals, and on water 

 we found our sole motive jDower in the winds or in our own muscles. Manufac- 

 tories were at a low ebb, producing hand-made work at such cost as to prevent 

 any extensive use. The introduction of machinery was at first greatly resisted. 

 For instance, when it was introduced into the factories there was a terrible 

 hue and cry from weavers at their hand looms, against the use of machinery, 

 as taking their employment from them ! You know how it is. More hands 

 are employed to-day than then, and their condition is vastly improved. The 

 introduction of machinery in their case, as in all others, improved the quality, 

 lessened the price, and was the consequent instigator of a demand that knows 

 no satisfaction. 



We as a nation use machinery. It is estimated that $500,000,000 worth of 

 machinery is employed on our farms alone each year, and with that machinery 

 we do nearly every kind of w^ork, ^Yc have machines in successful operation at 

 all kinds of farm work ; we have machines producing every kind of manuf ac- 



