ADDRESS 



It is evident from the constitution of man, it was the original 

 design of Providence, he should derive his subsistence from the 

 earth. Want soon impelled him to repair to this nourishing 

 parent. Tilling the ground was an art not unknown to the first 

 human family. Where man has existed in the most rude and 

 savage state, the chase has been a favorite pursuit. This, how- 

 ever, affords a precarious and sometimes a scanty support. In 

 proportion as civilization has spread, and a knowledge of the 

 arts been cultivated, agriculture has claimed attention. Its pro- 

 gress was slow and inconsiderable in the early ages. Every 

 thing was to be originated. There were no hints by which to 

 profit — no rude instrument on which to improve — nothing to 

 aid and direct inventive genius. Hence, the instruments of 

 husbandry were very imperfect ; yet necessity, the parent of 

 invention, led to the discovery of soma of most essential use. 



Sicily was the first state in v/hich agriculture attained any 

 considerable improvement. It was here, also, religious rites 

 were first instituted in honor of Ceres, the goddess of husban- 

 dry. From this country a knowledge of the art was carried 

 into Greece and the northern parts of Europe. In the early 

 ages of Rome, relaxation from the toils of war was frequently 

 devoted to the cultivation of the soil. The high and the low, 

 the patrician and the plebeian were united in the same employ- 

 ment. All distinctions of rank were lost in the field. Those of 

 the first standing in society might be seen toiling with the pea- 

 sant. Not only nations the most civilised, but even those the 



