addresses—Importance of agriculture. 43 7 
of the soil. The receipts of all other classes and professions are 
insignificant, when value is taken into consideration, and com¬ 
pared with the product of the former. The census of 1870 tells 
us that there was raised in that year the enormous product of 
sixty-eight million tons 'in round numbers, not including the 
products of the forest, and that its valuation was twenty-three 
million dollars, with a capital invested of twelve thousand million 
dollars. When you look at these vast annual products and com¬ 
pare them with the products of all other classes and legitimate 
business interests, you will find that it is many times the amount 
of them all. 
Here you see the importance of the farmers’ labors, and you 
cannot but feel that his occupation is the base and foundation 
upon which all human industries must build, and by which they 
must be supplied. I would not be understood as underrating the 
importance of other industries and aids to agriculture, in the 
advancement and progress of the world. Most of the legitimate 
pursuits tend largely to gratify man’s desires and wants, and 
hence contribute to his comfort and happiness. But agriculture 
is the great moving power, the master wheel which must start the 
numerous activities of man and keep them moving by supplying 
the workers with bread and meat. Agriculture requires labor of 
the hand and labor of the brain, both of which are good for 
every human being. You often hear it said that little labor of 
the mind is required to till the soil. As well, or better, might it 
be said that little mental effort is needed to conduct mercantile, 
or commercial branches of business, manage a railroad, run a 
bank, or build up a first class reputation as a lawyer, physician or 
divine. Agriculture needs brains as much or more than any 
other vocation; trained brains, skilled labor, and he who is not 
willing to apply both physical and mental labor to this calling 
had better engage in some other, for he certainly will be a failure 
in this. But methinks I hear this young man, or that young wo¬ 
man say that labor incident to farming requires too much physi¬ 
cal labor, that one becomes weary and exhausted, his or her men¬ 
tal powers become dulled, the routine of daily labor is depressing, 
and that altogether the life of the farmer is a dull and discon¬ 
tented one. Now this ought not to be so, and is not so if that 
