372 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, 
incidents mio'ht be named: other eminent farmers not of the Bible 
from Cincinnatus down to farmer Taylor, might be mentioned. 
Their beginnings and endings, their successes and failures, their 
trials and triumphs. So, too, might be mentioned other ancient 
and modern examples; men who despised the commandwork ” 
and took to their nets beside the sea, to the woods for game, to the 
cities for trade; to other vocations, professions and to politics. 
But when or where, from Adam’s day to the present, is recorded a 
single instance of a successful escape from that command “work? ” 
And the world to-day is on a high plane of civilization, by reason 
of that command — by obeying it in field and shop, by brain and 
muscle. 
DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR. 
Nations have become civilized, prosperous and wealthy just as 
the agricultural conditions of those nations have prospered. The 
first great wants of the people are food, clothing and shelter. 
People must be fed and clothed before they can turn their atten¬ 
tion to other pursuits. But it does not follow that all men must be 
farmers. Labor must be equally and fairly distributed. The 
United States is amongst the foremost nations of the earth, and it 
is generally conceded that labor is fairly distributed within our 
borders. Of the 12,500,000 persons engaged in all classes of oc¬ 
cupations, nearly 6,000,000 are engaged in agriculture. The great 
Northwest raises wheat, butter, cheese and meat, daily food for 
themselves, and millions for exportation; and yet not one-half of 
our vast farming land is developed, and not one-half our laboring 
people are engaged in farming. 
The national v'ensus of 1870 enumerates 2,660,000 farms, more 
than one-half of which contained over 50 acres. The cash value of 
these farms, farm implements and live stock was placed at upwards 
of .^11,000,000,000, and the total annual production at about 
$2,500,000,000. 
ANCIENT AGRICULTURE. 
We have been led to believe that ancient Egypt was the granery 
of the world. Egypt had her Nile and a system of irrigation be¬ 
side the regular annual overflow of the river to eiyrich her soil. 
Her agriculture was mainly under the direction of the Government. 
She fed the millions of her own land, and had much wheat and 
