Address. 1 1 



whatever kind, that it shall be conducted with a profit over and above the 

 expense of production and of transit to the place of consumption. And 

 if we persist in our system of exhausting the soil as we proceed, and of 

 driving production farther and farther into the "West, and thus place our- 

 selves at an increasing distance from the European market, the time will 

 come when that market will be closed against us by price, however cheaply 

 we may grow our grain. 



It is only ingorance of the true principles of agricultural science, and 

 the best modes of agricultural practice that leads men to the adoption of a 

 wandering manner of life, and a scarifying of the soil, instead of thorough 

 cultivation. The two systems of farming — high and low — or thorough and 

 superficial, are like the two systems of civilization — the Asiatic and the 

 Egyptian— which preceded the Hebrew culture. The former induced a 

 wandering migratory sort of life — the latter was directed to things of prac- 

 tical utility. The study of the serous, the labors demanded by the culti- 

 vation of -the earth, the necessity of providing against the overflowings of 

 the Nile, the forethought and contrivance thus imposed upon men, and the 

 early discovered convenience of an interchange of superfluous commodi- 

 ties, opened a career to industry, commerce, and the arts, which essentially 

 modified the Egyptian civilization, and through that, surrounding nations, 

 and eventually through the Hebrews and the code of Moses, future ages 

 and its influence, through our pilgrim fathers, extended to this continent. 



Agriculture, the industries and commerce are the tripod on which 

 stands the great nation over-ruling this Western world, and if one leg of 

 the tripod is weakened the whole fabric is shaken and may totter to 

 the fall. Our concern is with agriculture directly, and the mission of 

 New England farmers is like that of the ancient priestess to keep the 

 sacred flames always burning before the altar, that the torches elsewhere 

 which go out may be rekindled, and to send forth a refined and improved 

 civilization and culture which shall restore the waste places, and not only 

 prevent barbarism from obtaining the ascendancy, but by scientific cultiva- 

 tion cause the earth to yield tenfold beyond her pristine efforts, and as the 

 marts of industry narrow the quantity of land, the quality shall so increase 

 as to more than compensate for such withdrawal. New England churches, 

 ministers, schools, teachers, doctors, and lawyers have exerted their due in- 

 fluence over the whole continent, and it is so far from being exhausted 

 that the cry is still for more, and our pulpits, professional and scientific 

 chairs are being continually emptied at the cry of give, give, send, send 



