76 WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY . 
These addresses were listened to by a large and appreciative 
audience, and were welcomed with much applause at their close. 
Thursday, February 6th, 9 A. M. 
Agricultural Convention met. 
President Taylor in the chair. 
The President called Col. Wm. Warner to the chair, and then 
proceeded to deliver bis address upon 
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES, INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION AND CO-OPER¬ 
ATION AMONG FARMERS. 
V 
BY PRESIDENT WM. R. TAYLOR. 
Gentlemen of the Convention: In attempting to address you 
upon the importance of associated, educated effort among farmers, 
I feel myself chiefly embarrassed by the very multitude of con¬ 
siderations that marshall themselves before me. There is strength 
in union, and wisdom in united counsel. The wonder is that this 
truth did not earlier impress itself upon the agricultural popula¬ 
tion of the civilized world. Other trades and professions have 
been less slow to recognize the benefits of co-operation. Societies 
and organizations have long been regarded by them as invaluable 
educating agencies, and have been seized upon as a power to be 
wielded when occasion should demand. History is full of confir¬ 
mations of what we say. The professions, learned and unlearned, 
soon saw the importance of associating and counseling together for 
mutual improvement, if not for pecuniary gain. Tradesmen and 
artizans of every grade have not been blind to the importance of 
systematic co-operation, as the “Guilds” of the middle ages— 
trades-unions of later date, chambers of commerce, boards of 
trade, commercial conventions, etc., bear witness. But agricultur¬ 
al associations are of comparatively recent date. 
The farmer, in his isolation, has been very slow to open his 
eyes to the numerous illustrations of the power of combination, 
and to the great advantage of more frequent intercourse with his 
fellows of the same pursuit. Within the recollection of some 
who are here present, the agricultural societies of the United 
States could have been counted upon one’s fingers, and agricultur¬ 
al fairs were a thing scarcely known. But, thanks to the pio- 
