102 



His Excellency Governor Gardner responded to this sentiment, 

 substantially as follows : 



He was present at considerable personal inconvenience, but he felt as a 

 citizen, by birth, of Norfolk County, as a farmer of Norfolk County, that he 

 had a right as well as a true pleasure in being with them that day. He felt, 

 after the promise he had given, that it would be treachery and desertion to 

 leave them ; and whatever other faults he had, and he had many, it should 

 never be written on his tombstone that he would desert his friends. He 

 presumed that, in the dim vista of past ages, all of us had derived our names 

 from some peculiarity of occupation or looks, or something of that nature. 

 We all of us know that Rufus meant red, and also that Mary, that most 

 beautiful of names, was derived from its most beautiful prototype. So he 

 thought it probable, that in those middle ages his ancestors derived their 

 name from their fondness for the pursuits of horticulture. Whether it was 

 so or not, was apocryphal ; but this he knew, that some of their descendants 

 in the present day were not entirely and utterly forgetful of that most 

 beautiful occupation. He had felt, as he looked over the exhibition of agri- 

 cultural industry that day, how much we had to be thankful for ; that we 

 were placed here, in this country, where we are not confined to a single 

 staple of production, but where, though our soil is sterile and the climate 

 cold, almost every thing that enters into the necessity or comfort of man- 

 kind can be produced in all their abundance and beauty. In the process 

 of education there were all grades of school — the infant school, the jjrimary 

 school, and college. 



Now we here in America, in regard to agriculture, were raised in the 

 primary stage of instruction — it was useless to deny it — but we looked for- 

 ward to the day (and occasions like this would hasten It) when we should 

 have graduated with all the degrees. 



He concluded with a compliment to Mr. Wilder, the Presi- 

 dent ; and gave the following : 



May Massachusetts long continue to retain her proud preeminence among 

 her sister States, and may Norfolk County continue to sustain her preemi- 

 nence among her sister counties of Massachusetts. 



The next regular sentiment was in compliment to the Judiciary, 

 and Judge Sanger was called on to respond. Failing to do so, 

 his father, Rev. Ralph Sanger, was called up, and happily re- 

 sponded. 



The President here announced that he had received a letter 



from Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, delegate from the State Board of 



Agriculture, which was read by the Secretary as follows : 



Boston, Sept. 24, 1855. 

 My Dear Sir — It is with real regret that I find myself unable to repre- 

 sent the State Board of Agriculture at the Norfolk County Cattle Show 



