198 Transactions of the American Institute. 



ments of every kind, vastly improved and simplified, so that skilled' 

 labor is no longer necessary to operate them, but the best reapers 

 and mowers may now be operated by the boys on the farm ; a horse 

 rake is shown that will do tlie labor of twenty men, and macliines 

 that destroy the occupation of the milk-maid. Instead of the root 

 of a tree., with which by great labor they tore open the bosom of 

 mother earth in ancient times, that they may feed upon its richness, 

 we show you the steel plow which polishes itself as it goes, and gives 

 the happy plowman time to sing his independent song. We intro- 

 duced to the visitors Mr. Greeley, who delivered the opening address ; 

 Dr. Loring, of Massachusetts, who spoke upon the agricultural inter- 

 ests of the country; the Hon. Samuel S. Fisher, Commissioner of 

 Patents at Washington, who addressed you on behalf of inventors, and 

 of the value of the patent offices in encouraging inventions, and 

 who told you that they had acted upon 14,000 inventions during 1869 ;. 

 Erastus B, Bigelow, Esq., President of the " National Association of 

 Wool Manufacturers," who addressed the people on behalf of the 

 wool interests that you represent at this fair. 



President Barnard, of Columbia College, who spoke of the influ- 

 ence of mechanism in developing the material resources of the 

 country and Mr. Britton Richardson, of Yonkers, N. Y., on behalf 

 of the silk manufacturers, whose productions in this exhibition have 

 surprised thousands, and are a credit to the American people, and I 

 am proud to say that the most of them come from my own State of 

 New Jersey. It is not to much to say that an exhibition of this 

 extent and character, entirely of American productions, has never 

 before been held, and we have to announce that another exhibition 

 will be held in this build in the autumn of 1870, and that a grand 

 exhibition of the industry of all nations will be held in 1876. under 

 the auspices of the American Institute. [Loud applause.] 



The list of premiums was then read, which will be found in prece- 

 ding pages. The fair of 1869 has been the most successful of any 

 ever held by the Institute, and was visited by more than 150,000 

 persons. 



