No. 4.] ADDRESS OF WELCOME. 17 



trusts ; and I know my fellow members of the Board of Agri- 

 culture will excuse my absence and pardon me for reference to this 

 worthy type of Essex County manhood. 



Please say to His Honor the Mayor, that I regret to lose the 

 opportunity of replying to his words of welcome, and let me ex- 

 press to him the appreciation, which must be felt by all our Board 

 in the interest taken by the Newburyport Board of Trade and the 

 farmers' clubs, granges and individuals in this neighborhood, in 

 preparing for this winter meeting. 



I had hoped to personally join with the mayor in welcoming, in 

 behalf of our old Essex Agricultural Society, the State Board of 

 Agriculture, the lecturers and visitors to this meeting, whose 

 object is to strive to aid and advance the agriculture of old Essex 

 by now coming into her territory. 



I have been interested in looking up the comparative standing 

 of Essex County agriculture, in the midst of which you now meet. 

 I find she stands as the third county in the State as to " persons 

 assessed," with 115,520; third in" assessed valuation," with 

 $241,464,050; third in number of horses, with 21,423; third in 

 number of dwelling-houses, with 53,033 ; fourth in number of 

 swine, with 3,070 ; seventh in number of neat cattle, with 18,712 ; 

 tenth in number of sheep, with 450. 



I regret that we have no figures to show the great quantity of 

 produce that is yielded by our lands to supply our markets ; nor 

 can I tell you by figures the great falling off in the sale of farm 

 produce in consequence of the depressed condition of business, 

 and the decreased amount of means in the hands of all individuals 

 towards the purchase of those health-producing, and life-prolonging 

 products of the farm and garden. 



How closely allied are the producer and the consumer in their 

 respective interests ; and so closely should both producer and 

 consumer be brought in our land, that they may be found shoulder 

 to shoulder at all times to promote the greatest degree of prosperity 

 to all our business. 



But I want especially to call attention to a special feature, which 

 seems to me of great importance to-day, and which is a part of 

 the work allotted to our Board ; and that is, the careful regard for 

 the improvement of our live stock, which I have shown exists to 

 so large an extent in the county where you meet. 



I regard its average condition much below the standard that it 

 might and should attain. We must not be satisfied with high 

 records from marked individuals ; such are most praiseworthy and 

 to be encouraged, but mislead as to the true average of qualit}'. 



If a person will stand for a short time in a fixed spot on the 



