WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
First, the encouragement of the more enterprising, by awarding 
to them the distinction they deserve for their efforts to produce 
better results in their several departments of industry; by making 
some partial compensation for such efforts, in the form of substan¬ 
tial prizes; by bringing to the place of exhibition multitudes of 
observers from all portions of the state, so that the superiority of 
their results may be widely known and appreciated, and, finally, 
by announcing their successes through the medium of the press. 
Secondly, to place before the less enterprising and less informed 
such models of excellence in their respective branches of industry 
as will at once awaken in their minds a desire for improvement, 
and show them the path to success. 
Thirdly, by bringing all classes of the people together, for ob¬ 
jects of common interest, to promote that friendly intercourse 
which leads to mutual respect and intelligent co-operation. 
Fourthly, to furnish an occasion for needed relaxation and recre¬ 
ation to multitudes of our hard-working people, who, but for some 
such opportunity to blend entertainment with instruction, would 
rarely or never escape the round of unceasing toil. 
If these are not the proper objects of such exhibitions, and if 
we have not named them in the order of their importance, then 
has this society erred in its understanding of them, and in the 
management of this branch of its work. 
We may confess that there has, at times, been manifest a dispo¬ 
sition to over-estimate the importance of some one of these objects 
at the expense of the others, and that there has always been need 
of a steady and resolute effort to keep them in their proper relations 
and thus hold them in the most judicious equipoise. There is, 
in fact, some appearance of such a tendency to-day ; and I need 
hardly point out to you that it is on the side of reversing the 
order of objects as I have named them. I hope there is not so 
much danger of the society’s giving fatal prominence to the recre¬ 
ation and sporting element as should excite serious apprehensions 
in the minds of its best friends, but I nevertheless deem it well to 
throw out this caution. 
We began our trials of speed as a means of proving the qual¬ 
ity of our horses and of encouraging such careful breeding as is 
calculated to improve the stock of this state. This was well, but 
