40 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
A motion was tlien made that no prizes be offered for 
essays, on the ground that but little ever came of such offers— 
in fact that nobody in Wisconsin appeared to feel sufficient 
pride in literary work of this sort, and that the annual prize 
list was therefore a farce. 
Mr. Hoyt strongly opposed this motion. He acknowledged 
with reluctance and mortification, that there was ground for a 
plausible argument on the other side, since the only prize 
awarded by the society for many years was the one accorded 
so unanimous^ to the paper on “ Wheat Growing in Wiscon¬ 
sin/’ prepared by Vice-president Eli Stilson, and published in 
the volume of Transactions lor 1869—published, too, he was 
sorry to observe, when too late to make the correction, without 
the proper announcement of its having received such an award. 
But the ground, after all, was more specious than real. For 
while on the one hand our farmers were very differently situ¬ 
ated from the farmers of New England, and could hardly be 
expected to enlist so readily in this kind of literary labor, 
there were nevertheless some among us who might be induced 
to do so; and the wholesome example of these few would 
gradually lead to like efforts on the part of others. He would 
therefore strongly urge not only the continuance of prizes for 
essays, but he would increase their number and amount, so as 
to give a wider range of subjects, and to at least half-way re¬ 
ward men for the labor essential to their preparation. 
The motion having been put and lost, the following list of 
prizes was agreed upon : 
Best approved essay on the Preparation and Management of a Farm for 
mixed Husbandry in Wisconsin, based upon experience of the author, 
$25. 
Best approved essay on the Preparation and Management of a Grain Farm, 
$25. 
Best approved essay on the Preparation and Management of a Stock Farm, 
$25. 
Best approved essay on the Preparation and Management of a Dairy Farm, 
$25. 
Best approved essay on the Practical Management of Sandy Land, $25. 
Best approved essay on the Cultivation of the Grasses and the Curing of 
Hay, $25. 
Best approved essay on the Cultivation of Indian Corn, Silver Medal. 
Best approved essay on Root Crops, their Cultivation, Preservation and Use, 
$25. 
