134 
COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
PERMANENT IMPROVEMENT IN AGRICULTURE. 
From an Address before the Waukesha Agricultural Society, at Waukesha, Sept. 17th, 1858. 
BY HON. THOMAS P. TURNER. 
American Agriculture commenced at the point which that of 
England had reached at the time her colonies were planted on 
the shores of the western continent. It has not kept pace, we 
are sorry to say, with that of the mother country. A virgin 
soil, abounding in all the elements of the highest fertility, and 
requiring at first but slight tillage to produce large crops, the 
abundance and cheapness of new lands, and the lack of per¬ 
sistent sturdy effort, which soon became an American charac¬ 
teristic, led at once to a superficial and exhausting mode of cul¬ 
tivation which has resulted in reducing thousands of acres of 
once fertile soil to a barren wilderness, as some portions of the 
older states lamentably present. That we farmers of Wauke¬ 
sha County should not pursue the same unwise course, but 
rather profit by their sad experience, we have formed an agricul¬ 
tural association, providing ample and suitable grounds for the 
exhibition of our various products, both animal and vegetable; 
and design to awaken an anxious desire throughout our com¬ 
munity foi the further improvement in agriculture and its kin¬ 
dred arts and sciences. We are hopeful of success, by adding 
largely to our membership, believing it not only the duty but 
the interest of every citizen as well as farmer, to unite with us. 
We already see a reaction in the older states. American 
husbandry is now rapidly improving, and we shall not long be 
left behind by the leading agricultural nations of Europe. The 
old or exhaustive system is giving place to the new or fertiliz¬ 
ing system, upon which productiveness of lands is constantly 
increased instead of being diminished. 
