162 
Wisconsin State aorigultural Society, 
At the conclusion of this paper, President Steele of Lawrence Uni¬ 
versity, was called upon. He had been placed on the programme for 
Tuesday, to read a paper on “ Diminishing Returns.” He had not 
been able to be here on time, and supposed his time had gone by, 
so he had not come prepared now to read a paper, but he gave a 
very interesting extempore address upon the subject, speaking of 
the doctrine of Mill and other English authors upon political econ¬ 
omy, relating to over population and a decrease of the productions 
of the soil. The history of England did not tend to confirm the ap¬ 
prehensions of these philosophers. Though the population of England 
had increased eight fold in 500 years, famines were not as common 
there now as in old times. In this country there was an actual de¬ 
crease of production upon given areas, but it was the result of bad 
methods and of robbing the soil for the exportation of products with¬ 
out making any return to supply 'the exhaustion. Southern soils 
had been worn out and abandoned, but when the South undertakes 
. and encourages manufacturing, as it ought to, and will, the lands 
will be restored. 
Diminishing returns were going on in Wisconsin. Instead of 30 
to 40 bushels of wheat to the acre as has been raised in the state, 
14 to 15 is now considered a good crop. This shows there is 
something wrong. You cannot carry off all your products and keep 
up the fertility of your land. Lands at the east and south were 
some of them worn out, exhausted of their fertility and absolutely 
abandoned, their owners had carried their farms away, and were 
now seeking new and fertile fields to rob and plunder of their 
food producing qualities. 
Adjourned to 9 A. M., Thursday, February 8. 
February 8 — 9 A. M. 
Convention met. On motion a committ«ee on resolutions was 
appointed consisting of Messrs. Stickney, Anderson and Wood. 
Secretary Field offered the following resolution, which was unan¬ 
imously adopted: 
“ JResolved^ That it is the sense of this convention that the bill 
now before the legislature, making an appropriation of two thous- 
