ADDRESS OF WELCOME. 25 



the simple but no less substantial enjoyments and blessings 

 which honest toil in the fresh air and bright sunlight secure 

 to those who love to sow in the spring, and to gather the 

 golden harvests in the fall. Their sleep is sweet, and they 

 have but little fear of blackmailers or assassins. There are 

 farmers in the Old Colony, who, I believe, enjoy as much solid 

 comfort to the square inch as any master mechanic, merchant 

 prince, Wall-street broker, or bloated bondholder. 



The soil of our county is quite diversified ; varying from 

 sandy upland, which is left to the growth of forest-trees, 

 mostly pine, oak, birch, and maple, — through sandy loam, 

 which, with sufficient enriching, yields good crops of rye, 

 oats, Indian corn, and potatoes, — down to meadow-muck, 

 which, when well drained and properly cared for, yields 

 excellent crops of Timothy and red-top. The Hon. Velorous 

 Taft, who was present as State delegate at our last exhibition, 

 told us that Indian corn can be raised east of the Connecti- 

 cut River at a less cost than it can be obtained from the 

 West. If he is right, we can safely advise our farmers in 

 this section to grow corn ; for I believe it is a fact, that as 

 large yields of this cereal have been obtained here as in any 

 part of the State. The writer of this has land on his farm 

 where upwards of one hundred bushels to the acre have been 

 raised ; but it was when it belonged to a former owner, and 

 a better farmer than the present possessor of the field can 

 ever hope to be. 



Root-crops are raised among us to a considerable extent, 

 and some of our farmers have ventured a little in the sugar- 

 beet direction ; but I believe the majority of these have about 

 concluded, that, so far as the actual profit to the raiser is 

 concerned, it would be about as well to try to squeeze blood 

 from a turnip as to extract sugar from the beet advanta- 

 geously at present prices. Our president raises a variety 

 (^Layics Imperial, we presume), which, however, he feeds to 

 his stock, not believing it profitable to have their liquid 

 sweetness drawn out by the Franklin Company. If these 

 remarks happen to provoke a discussion here on the sugar- 

 beet question, it will only tend to throw more light on this 

 saccharine subject. 



President Lane would have us sow wheat, and he thinks 

 every farmer should be fined who does not raise at least an 



