Agriculture. 191 



for meritorious exhibits of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. These 

 displays have often been quite large, and of a high order. 



When the society was first organized the price of life member- 

 ship was fixed at five dollars, and annual membership at one 

 dollar. A few years alter the price of life membership was 

 raised to ten dollars, but in 1890 it was reduced to the price 

 first established. 



The membership of the society has, from its organization to the 

 present time, been quite large, being composed of men, women, 

 and children. 



The meetings of the society have always been very harmonious, 

 and the officers have usually been chosen by unanimous votes. 



Albert Fearing, the first President, occupied the position seven- 

 teen years, until his death, when Solomon Lincoln was chosen. 

 After serving one year failing health compelled Mr. Lincoln to 

 resign, and Edmund Hersey was chosen. Mr. Hersey occupied 

 the position five years, and declined re-election. Ebed L. Ripley 

 was then chosen, and still holds the position. 



At the annual exhibitions the cattle-pens have been filled with 

 cattle equal to any exhibited in any portion of the State ; and the 

 exhibition in the hall of fruit, flowers, vegetables, useful and 

 fancy articles, and works of art, have not only been of a quality 

 to secure the highest praise from the visitors, but they have been 

 so well arranged by the committees that the society has become 

 noted for its good order and good management. 



The outside entertainments have been of a character to meet 

 the approbation of every friend to good order and pure morals. 



THE PAST AND PRESENT. 



The life of the farmer has been so gradually changed for the 

 better that very few realize how great has been the improvement. 

 Not only are he and his family better housed, better clothed, better 

 fed, and better educated, but his labors on the farm have been 

 very much lightened by the introduction of improved machinery, 

 the markets for his produce have been greatly extended, and 

 the returns for the same are in money instead of store-goods. 

 The farmer's wife and daughters no longer have to work from 

 early morn until late at night to manufacture the wool, flax, 

 and hemp into cloth for clothing to keep the family warm, but 

 the spinning-jenny, the power-loom, and the co-operative butter 

 aud cheese factories have lifted them out of daily toils but little 

 better than slavery. 



The farmer's sons no longer have to be kept from school and 

 put to hard labor on the farm to help feed and clothe the family, 

 but many of them receive just as good education as those who 

 are to follow other occupations, — the State having established 

 an agricultural college with eighty free scholarships. 



