16 MR. perry's address. 



and I firmly believe that the success of this institution and the 

 moral state of the county in the coming generations, depends 

 much on the fact whether this effort be made, or things be suf- 

 fered to go on in their present course. 



You will permit me here to pass from a consideration of hindran- 

 ces which present themselves to retard agricultural improvements, 

 hindrances which will however certainly give way before your en- 

 lightened and well-directed efforts, to the notice of some increased 

 if not new efforts which appear to me connected with a wider and 

 more speedy accomplishment of the commendable designs of your 

 institution. In this connexion I will suggest that a more general 

 circulation of the Annual Reports and other publications of your 

 Society is needed. Since called upon to give this address, I 

 have looked over most of the printed documents of this Society 

 anew, — I had read many of them before, — the result of which has 

 been a deeper conviction of the wisdom and spirit with which 

 its operations have been conducted. Information on subjects of 

 general importance is there given in an intelligible manner. In- 

 formation, too, which I know from my own experience, it would 

 be for the general interest were it more commonly possessed and 

 regarded. It may be asked what more can be done than to col- 

 lect, embody and send abroad the information contained in these 

 publications. You will permit me to observe that your reports, 

 (and the observation might with the same propriety be extended 

 to almost all useful institutions,) are not made common enough. 

 Comparatively few who need them most, ever see them ; should 

 you go through the county you would find many who had never 

 seen any of them, and vast numbers more who had only seen 

 incidentally a few, or parts of them. The fault may be their 

 own : your object however is to enlighten the ignorant and rouse 

 up the inactive and call into exercise the dormant powders of so- 

 ciety. Your success depends, in part at least, as does that of 

 every desirable effort, in taking land yet uncultivated, exciting 

 minds yet unaffected, sending light and improvement where 

 there is yet darkness. 



As a means of doing this, large and cheap editions of your 

 reports or parts of them should be printed, and effectual means 



