240 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



next one that came in, I am not sure about, but suppose it was 

 organized in Chester county sometime during 1840, and from that 

 time on until the present time there have been organized through- 

 out the various counties of the State, a large number of county and 

 township agricultural societies. In 1852 the first Agricultural Col- 

 lege was organized in Pennsylvania. State College was founded at 

 that time. It became one of the first of a line of pioneer agricul- 

 tural colleges in the nation, and during that decade more agricul- 

 tural societies were organized than at any time during the previous 

 history of the State. And now, my friends, I have come to my 

 own time, and will tell you what has been done in that time. 



In my own county of York, the first agricultural society was or- 

 ganized in 1854. The purpose was to encourage competition be- 

 tween the neighboring farmers. Now, I can't talk about 1854, but I 

 know that my father was one of the competitors in a plowing con- 

 test conducted by the York County Agricultural Society. The man 

 who could strike the straightest furrow was awarded a prize. There 

 was quite a competition, and there was some mighty straight plow- 

 ing done. They could beat me all to pieces, and I suppose the rest 

 of you. There were a number of competitors, and the award was 

 something to be proud of. I don't think my father got the first 

 prize. He didn't; he got the second. There were some mighty 

 straight furrows turned, and they did not have any stake to go by, 

 either. 



Then another thing they did was to bring their own country 

 horses and run a country horse race. You and I might smile at 

 that, but do you know, it put something into that community which 

 has been building up to the present time. Now, gentlemen, where 

 did this emanate? Why, from the farmers themselves. Down around 

 the central and southern parts of the State — I am not so sure about 

 the Northern part — there were organized the first agricultural so- 

 cieties. Mr. Kodgers could refer you to societies that have been in 

 existence for forty years — 



MR. KODGERS: Yes, and more. 



PROF. MENGES: Yes, and more, and they have done a wonder- 

 ful amount of good and have been successful. That competitive idea 

 between the various farmers of the county, to produce the various 

 kinds of crops and exhibit them at these various societies and or- 

 ganizations, is an excellent one. I am very sorry to say that there 

 are a large number of them that have gone all to pieces, but do you 

 know, my friends, that they did not begin to go to pieces until about 

 1886, when farm products became so cheap that emulation was not 

 worth while. I believe I could bring up some people here who 

 could testify to that statement, but I am not going to call on them. 

 I am old enough to know some of that myself. Farm organizations 

 did not begin to go to pieces until farm products became so cheap 

 that emulation was not worth while. Some of these organizations 

 owned very valuable property. I am not here to exalt York county, 

 but do you know what the property of the York County Agricul- 

 tural Society is worth today? A million dollars! Every acre is 

 worth eight hundred dollars. I am not sure what the Allentown 

 property is worth — 



