130 
Annual Report of the 
soiling, it is precisely as Mr. Porter says, you cannot take sub-soil 
and grow erop3 upon it at first, because it has not been decomposed 
and you cannot make it mellow; but you can do it by putting 
manure on it. It is a decomposition of the soil that is wauted. 
Professor Daniells here read from his annual report to the Board 
of Regents of the University of Wisconsin, for the year 1874, rel¬ 
ative to the experiments in sub-soiling, which will be found in this 
volume under the head of “University Farm.” 
SOME OF THE LESSONS OF THE PAST SEASON. 
BY J. W. WOOD, BARABOO. 
A very cursory examination of the condition of our agricultural 
interests in Wisconsin will show us that they are far from satisfac¬ 
tory. A great amount of land is under cultivation which is not 
profitable to those who carry it on. 
The past year has been unusually disastrous on account of the 
drouth, with its attendant evil, the chinch bugs, and thousands of 
acres of grain which were hopefully sown have not paid the ex¬ 
pense of harvesting and threshing. The markets of the world are 
such that wheat is ruling unusually low, so that what we do raise 
brings us but little money. All classes of business are suffering on 
account of this, and our agricultural convention meets this year 
under rather discouraging circumstances. 
I shall attempt to review some of the experiences of the past sea¬ 
son, in order to find what lessons may be learned which will help 
us in the future. But first, as to the condition of agriculture in 
our state. I have no doubt but that in its general management it 
averages below the methods of those who are met in this conven¬ 
tion. If a man has enterprise enough to give the time and incur 
the expense of attending here, the probability is that he is dissatis¬ 
fied with his present achievements, and this is the starting point in 
the highway of improvement. 
The great work which we wish to accomplish as statesmen and 
well-wishers of our race, is to move the masses of our farmers to 
adopt better and surer methods, so that, if possible, our granaries 
may always be filled. The low price of wheat is nothing when 
