120 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



given up etlucational opportuntics, social life, conveniences in the 

 home, and much more that her children might be educated, that 

 they might be fitted for the battles of life equal with the city woman's 

 sons and daughters, and as a just tribute to her let me say that it is 

 not her husband and sons who inhabit the jails nor is it the farmers' 

 wives and daughters who are seeking divorces from their husbands; 

 and every woman who has lived on an isolated farm fifty years 

 deserves a pension just as much as any man who ever went to war, 

 for one sacrifice has been as great as the other. 



Every farmer in New England today knows that he does not 

 receive a just compensation for the products of his farm; that there 

 are no eight-hour labor unions for him; that in proportion his taxes 

 are too large; that no matter how poor a lawyer or doctor he may 

 employ that they can charge any fee they wish and that they have 

 the law on their side; that the man in the city who receives a salary 

 can spend it all for the comfort and happiness of his family, for in 

 most cases he only pays a poll tax. He knows in the majority of 

 cases it is only the poorest of any profession who stay in the country 

 for the beauties of the great American Dollar to most people are far 

 greater than the song of the birds, the hum of the bees, the green 

 grass, pure air, and beautiful sunshine. He knoAvs that the farmer 

 does not occupy the positions of honor and trust that are given men 

 in other callings, but in spite of all these, you will find no more loyal 

 citizens today than those upon the farms, although too much em- 

 phasis cannot be laid upon the farct that the welfare of the nation 

 depends upon the prosperity of the farms, and upon the success of 

 agriculture depends the success of every other industry. 



The neglect, or rather, perhaps, the unwise management of agri- 

 cultural interests has cost New England many thousands of dollars, 

 not only in the decrease in the value of farm lands, but in its manu- 

 factures as well. When agriculture became prosperous in the West, 

 manufactories moved there and Eastern capital that should have 

 been used to promote home industries was invested in the West 

 and much of it was lost and now investors are turning their atten- 

 tion to New England realizing more and more what value there is 

 in our so called worn-out fields, which are not Avorn out but sim])ly 

 need feeding and cultivating. To prove my assertion, I am going 

 to read you a letter which I received from a farmer in Eastern ^Massa- 

 chusetts who has made a great success of farming. 



