ADDRESS. 



^^Seed time and harvest shall not ceased This was a divine prom- 

 ise. But as a condition of its fulfilment we have from the same author- 

 ity, the injunction given to man, " to till the ground from whence he 

 was taken." These are the declarations of Infinite Wisdom ; and 

 such the means which it has provided for the sustenance and prosperi- 

 ty of the human race. To whatever other pursuits labor may be di- 

 rected, however it may be diversified in its application, yet on Ag- 

 riculture, the primeval employment of man, must ever depend if we 

 may trust the history of the past, not only the welfare of one indi- 

 vidual or community, but of all arts and professions, yea, of the 

 whole civilized world. 



The advancement of Agriculture and of kindred pursuits is the 

 worthy object of the Association whose anniversary we have met to 

 celebrate. 



Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Hampshire Agricultural 



Society : 



I have consented to address you with some reluctance, partly on 

 account of a pressure of other duties, and partly from a conciousness 

 of my inability to instruct the intelligent yeomanry, or the profession- 

 al gentlemen for which this County is so justly and extensively dis- 

 tinguished. It however aff'ords me unfeigned pleasure to meet you, 

 to participate in the priviliges of the occasion, and to imite my hum- 

 ble testimony with yours, in favor of the industrial pursuits which 

 your youthfid and promising association is seeking to promote. It 

 has recently entered the Agricultural family, but the favorable report 

 which has already reached the other members thereof, awakens the 

 most elevated expectations, and excites a fraternal affection, and live- 

 ly interest in its welfare. You enter this school of improvement in 

 advance, and at a peculiarly felicitious period. Not among the least 

 of your advantages, is the fact, that you have a College in your 

 midst, deservedly celebrated for the natural sciences, upon which Ag- 

 riculture so essentially depends. 



During the last half century, what surprising changes have taken 



