ANNUAL REPORT—AGRICULTURE. 
2 5 
up all over the state, for bettering the social condition of the 
farmers, and educating them in the noble profession which they 
have chosen for a life work. 
THE UNCERTAINTY OF AGRICULTURE. 
Perhaps there is no branch of business more uncertain than ag¬ 
riculture. This is partly owing to local conditions of climate, soil, 
and other causes and agencies, which the farmer should carefully 
observe and study. The practices and experiments in one county 
of the state, may not apply in another, where the local conditions 
are entirely different. For instance, experiments made upon land 
in one part of the state with full protection from the cold north 
winds and other favorable conditions, may be of little practical 
value in another part of the state with the same kind of soil, but 
with local surroundings and conditions unfavorable. Persons 
therefore, in discussing these important questions should, as far as 
possible, give the character of the soil, the exposures and general 
conditions which may have a bearing upon results, so that those 
similarly situated may feel sure of a like result, without the loss of 
time, trouble and the expense of making the experiment. Modes 
of culture best adapted to the prairie soils of the southern part of 
the state, are not adapted to the more clayey soils of some of the 
timbered, or oak opening lands of other parts of the state. Hence, 
a general practical knowledge of the various modes of developing 
the great agricultural resources of this state, must be more slowly 
acquired than in some of our more exclusively prairie sister states 
adjoining us. 
WORK FOR LOCAL SOCIETIES. 
Here ppens a work for farmers clubs and other local societies. 
Let them show the variety of soils, crops best adapted to each, 
whether cereals or grasses ; whether the soil is better calculated to be 
of profit to the owner in one branch of farming or in another; whether 
its peculiar location, surroundings and favorable conditions, rail¬ 
road and market facilities, do not make it a more suitable location 
for raising small fruits, vegetables and the like, than other pro¬ 
ducts which may be produced in other localities with greater profit; 
whether stock raising would not pay better than any other branch 
