46 
STATE AGEICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 
we may in tlie fnture really accomplish more in this direction 
than will be accomplished in most of the more favored lo¬ 
calities. 
Otie thing seems certain, viz., that our still long lists of va¬ 
rieties must be heroically cut down. And it is probably no 
less certain that thorough drainage, high planting (on high lo¬ 
cations), mulching, low training, and protection by means of 
belts of timber, have not hitherto more than half done their 
duty. 
But a discussion of these important subjects in this connec¬ 
tion is made unnecessary by the publication in this volume of 
the proceedings of the State Horticultural Society., to which 
you are respectfully referred. 
The unabated interest in Horticulture is further demonstrated 
by the number of local societies lately organized in various 
portions of the State, as well as by the more frequent occur¬ 
rence of those horticultural embellishments of city and coun¬ 
try homes, which betoken a growing appreciation of the beauti¬ 
ful in Hature and in Art. Organizations of this sort may be 
of incalculable value in any community, and, so far as practi¬ 
cable, should be aided and encouraged by the State and mu¬ 
nicipal governments. 
MINING. 
Since 1860, when the quantity of Lead raised was reported 
as being 22,000,000 pounds and the product of iron (in pigs) 
between five and six millions, we have no reliable data for a 
comparison of the production of our mines. 
The returns made to the Secretary of State, in 1866, show 
a remarkable decrease. How much this apparent falling off 
may be real and how much dependent on the assessors not re¬ 
ceiving their blanks until many of them had well nigh finish¬ 
ed their work, we are unable to estimate. It is nevertheless 
true that in one important respect there has been much real 
progress in our mining operations since 1860. 
Ever since lead-mining commenced in Wisconsin, it has 
