37« WISCOJ^SIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, 
than the chemistry of agriculture and agricultural societies were 
feared and dreaded by the farmers of three-quarters of a century 
ago. For ages and ages the old wheel of agriculture had run in 
the same old rut; and the husbandman of the days of the last war 
with Great Britain who dared to make experiments outside of the 
old, old way — who dared to do otherwise than his great-great- 
‘ granfer ’ had done—who dared to store his mind with useful 
knowledge — who dared to imbibe a liberal idea, and who dared to 
join an agricultural society, so excited the prejudices which blinded 
his neighbors’ eyes that he became the object of ridicule and the 
cant of his entire neighborhood. The education of the masses had* 
to be begun at home. Competition, with just enough of premiums 
to stimulate the farmer of that day, under the name of fair, did 
the work. 
ANNUAL FAIRS. 
Fairs, or exhibitions of farm products, live stock, farm and me¬ 
chanical skilled workmanship for competition and premium, because 
fully established shortly after the close of the last war with Great 
Britain, and in the year 1825 there were a number of fairs in ex¬ 
istence. Agricultural and mechanical associations are now perma¬ 
nently established and their fairs are well sustained in every county, 
district and state, in free and independent America. What a 
growth! The work of fifty years! What are they? What is the 
object of these exhibitions? What do they do? They are the 
means of bringing farmers, mechanics, merchants, professions, 
trades — every interest, communities of interest together, of ex¬ 
changing knowledge — of improving, encouraging and building up 
the backward to higher attainments; and of stimulating the ad¬ 
vance to greater improvements; to further progress; to higher and 
nobler aspirations. Such is the purpose of the Fond du Lac County 
Agricultural and Mechanical Society, the twenty-fourth annual fair 
of which is being held here in your thriving, populous, commercial 
and manufacturing city to-day. If any one of the originators of 
fairs could look in upon this exhibition of the products from field 
and shop, what could he recognize here that belonged to the day in 
which he lived? Where is the old bull plow? Where the tree top 
then used fora harrow? Where the sickle? the one nibbed scythe 
snath? the flail? Where the ox cart? the thorough brace pleasure 
