306 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



BAY CITY INSTITUTE. 



Held February 4 and 5. 



Bay City manifested a lively interest in the Farmers' Institute. Tliere were 

 a goodly number in attendance, both of farmers of the vicinity and residents 

 of the city. The Press of the city, the Courier and Herald of East Saginaw, 

 and the Saginawian were represented. 



On the arrival of the delegation from the College, consisting of Pres. T. C. 

 Abbot, Professors R. C. Kedzie and R. C. Carpenter, and R. Gr. Baird, Secre- 

 tary of the State Board of Agriculture, they, together with the members of 

 the press were handsomely received at the depot by Judge Marston, Mayor 

 Lord, ex-Mayor McDonell, Gen'l B. F. Partridge, Messrs. Lewis, Merrill, Gus- 

 tin, Fitzhugh, and several other leading citizens. 



They were driven at once to the Frazer House, where they sat down and did 

 justice to a sumptuous dinner. Carriages were then in waiting and they were 

 driven to Mr. Thomas McGraw's farm, on Center street. Here they witnessed 

 the operation of cutting and steaming feed for some ninety head of cattle 

 that are being fatted. This is a model establishment, and sliows what can be 

 done in the way of stock-farming in tliat vicinity. The party drove to Mr. 

 Wm. Westover's farm, but on account of the storm tliey remained but a few 

 minutes, and then returned to the Frazer House. 



The sessions of the Institute were held in the court-house, and presided over 

 by Hon. Isaac Marston, President of the Bay County Agricultural Society. 

 After prayer by Dr. Wiglit, and vocal music by a double quartette, ex-Mayor 

 McDonnell delivered the following 



OPENING ADDRESS. 



Ladies and Gentlemen : — Whatever may be the result of the meetings 

 which we are about to inaugurate, in point of instruction to ourselves, it must 

 be admitted that it is a source of pleasure and satisfaction to us, as citizens 

 of til is county, tliat wc have so far become recognized as an agricultural com- 

 munity as to attract the attention of the Board of Agriculture of our State. 



During the period in the history of our Valley, when our vast lumbering 

 and salt enterprises monopolized all our labor at remunerative prices to the 

 employed, it was but natural tliat our farming interests were left to languish 

 an(l the capabilities of our soil left untested. 



But in part, attributable to the late general depression that pervaded all our 

 industrial and manufacturing pursuits, and in part owing to the efficient efforts 

 and untiring energy of the gentlemen who have had charge of tlie agricult- 

 ural society of our county for tiic last two years (and were I not so extremely 

 careful about other peoples' modesty I should say) ;ind largely owing to the 

 indefatigable industry of the president of our agricultural society, Judge 

 Marston, w!io is rapidly running into grangerism, things have clianged. Bay 

 county has become noted for the richness and productive powers of her soil. 



We read the statistics of our State and find recorded, that although we are 

 few in number of cultivated acres, we are largo and bountiful in the quantity 

 of yield, and, indeed, in some products, second to no county in tiie west. So, 

 the industrious and honest granger wlio, while looking around for a new home- 



