become so enervated by idleness and luxury, and debauched by crimes and immoralities, that the empire became an easy prey to the savage hords of Huns, Goths, and Vandals, as well as other barbarous tribes from the north of Europe, who swept down over Italy like avenging demons, and buried the science of Roman agriculture as well as the other arts and sciences of the empire in one common ruin. In this overwhelming destruction, slavery, in the form it had long existed, was destroyed.

In its place a sysetm of Feudalism grew up and speedily spread itself over the entire continent of Europe. This was in fact, a modified form of slavery. The Feudal lords being the proprietors of the soil, and their serfs or subjects being the laborers by whom the soil was cultivated. The pay in almost every case being simply a meager supply of the plainest food and clothing, merely sufficient to sustain them in working condition, and a cheap hut or hovel to protect them from the cold and storms. In addition to their labors, the serfs were obliged to perform military duty whenever their haughty lords commanded. The agricultural condition of Europe was in a most wretched condition.

Such was the situation at the beginning of the eighth century; and from that time down to the middle of the fourteenth century, the history of Europe is one of ignorance, bigotry, superstition and barbarous inhumanity. It is useless to follow the science of agriculture through those dark ages. As a science, it ceased to exist. A meager subsistence was all that was expected or obtained by the cultivators of the soil, and the comforts and luxuries of life, as we understand them to-day, were utterly unknown to them.

During the last half of the fourteenth century, there seemed to be a little improvement, at least in some places. Strange as it may seem, the fact is, that we know but little of the agricultural condition of modern Europe until within the last one hundred and fifty years; and that little is not at all calculated to make us proud of our ancestors.

We have a description of the British Islands as they were about the commencement of the seventeenth century, by Macaulay. It is the fullest and most perfect that I have been able to find. He, in his History of England says: "According to a computation made in 1696, the whole quantity of wheat, rye, oats, barley and beans then annually grown in the kingdom, was less than ten millions of quar

ters, or eighty millions of bushels. The wheat crop was estimated at less than two millions of quarters." This estimate will make the grain crop of the United Kingdom but a trifle more than the grain crop of Wisconsin for 1872. The wheat crop being not any more than the same crop in Wisconsin for the year 1870. The population at this time is believed to have been not less than 12,000,000. "Wheat was only grown upon the strongest clay, and was consumed by those in easy circumstances." The rotation of crops was very imperfectly understood. But very few kinds of vegetables were then grown. Turnips, at present one of the most valuable of their crops, were just being introduced. The potato as an article of food for the masses, was unknown. Wages were generally fixed by law, and ranged from four to six shillings per week, the laborer to furnish his own board. In 1661, the justices of Chelmsford fixed the wages at six shilling per week in winter, and seven in summer. This is said to have been the highest remuneration paid in the kingdom for agricultural labor between the time of the Restoration and the Revolution.

At this time the price of wheat is given at seventy shillings per quarter, or $2.12 per bushel. Meat was cheaper, comparatively, but it was estimated that only one-half of the laborers could taste of meat oftener than twice a week, and the balance, at most,. not oftener than once in a week, if at all. Gregory King, who is considered good authority, estimated that more than one-fifth of the entire population were more or less dependent upon public charity for help. At the present, in ordinary times, it is estimated that one in thirty receive more or less aid in this manner. The great majority of the nation lived almost entirely upon rye, oats and barley. Clothing of nearly or quite all kinds was higher then than now. Such articles as tea, coffee, sugar, &c., were of course, entirely beyond their reach. It is estimated that the annual yield per acre of the different crops was less than one-half of what it is at present. Such was the condition of the most free, independent and enlightened nation of Europe, less than two hundred years ago.

Now let us come down to the time when agriculture began to take its place among the sciences, and efforts began to be made to place it in a condition of prosperity.

The first Agricultural Society of which I find a notice, was organized in Scotland in 1723. It had only a short existence, as did

The first permanent one
Its first annual meeting

some others that were started soon after. was the Highland Society of Scotland. was held in 1784, and was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1787. It is still not only living, but is, with one exception, probably the most useful association of its kind upon the British Islands. The Royal Agricultural Society of England was established in May 1838, and then consisted of 466 members. In twenty years its membership had increased to more than ten thousand. It is still in successful operation, and bids fair to be still more successful in the future than it has in the past.

The first Agricultural Society in this country was the Philadelphia Society for promoting agriculture, established 1785. A few others followed previous to 1800. There was one in my native county, I think as early as 1810, at which premiums were awarded for the best workmanship at different kinds of farm labor. My now aged father took the first premium (a silver cup) for doing the best plowing; it was sometime between 1810 and 1820. Agricultural societies are now permanently established, and generally well supported throughout the civilized portion of the civilized world. They have been and still are the means of great good in bringing farmers and communities together; in encouraging the backward to sonte improvement, and stimulating those more advanced to still further progress in exchanging ideas, and in many other ways that I cannot now stop to mention.

The first school or college that I find devoted to agriculture, was started at Hofwyl, in Switzerland, in 1806, by Fellenburg. This seems to have been a success from the start. In thirty years no less than 3,000 pupils had been trained in agricultural knowledge, and made, as is believed, more useful to themselves and the world than they otherwise could have become. Since that time many other schools have sprung up in different parts of Europe. In France, Russia and Prussia they are supported by the general governments. In other portions of Europe they exist supported by various methods. I need not stop to more than mention the agricultural colleges in our own country; one of them in each state, where it is to be hoped they will prove to be permanent blessings to the whole country.

Agricultural papers seem to be a peculiarly American institution. I believe they are not numerous outside of our own country. The

first successful agricultural paper of which I have any knowledge, was started in Albany, New York, about 1830, by Judge Buel. There had been two or three started previous to this, although I believe none of them were successful. Judge Buel's paper was called the Cultivator, was issued monthly, and was not more than onequarter as large as the Chicago Evening Journal. The price was 50 cents per year. Such was the birth of American agricultural journalism. To-day it is undoubtedly the best means of educating the masses of our farmers that exists in the world. Some of these papers are edited with great skill and ability and are as firmly established as any of the great papers of our country.

Thus have I glanced in the briefest manner possible at the past. But who would exchange it for the present or for the bright prospects of the future? Remember, too, in the views given, I have selected only the most favored nations of the past. If we compare the most favored days of the past with the present, what do we see? The great masses of the cultivators of the soil, ever and always bound down beneath a load of ignorance, bigotry, superstition and crime. For them there was no bright to-morrow ever to dawn. No change of administration ever ameliorated their condition. The fall of one dynasty and the rise of another, found them still toiling and suffering. From the hovel, to the field, from the field to the hovel, with no education, no hope for the future, no Sabbath, no rest until they suuk down by the way with their eyes closed in death and were buried from sight and forgotten. Thus the uncounted and countless millions of the tillers of the soil, in the ages of the past, have lived and died, with none to hear or heed their sad, bitter cries, except Him who hears the raven's cry and notes the sparrow's fall. How is it with us to-day?

Suppose we take a section of our country, commencing at the Ohio river, and take a district of territory on each side of the Mississippi 200 miles in width and extend it 600 miles north. This would give us a territory of 240,000 square miles, a territory somewhat larger than France, Belgium and Holland combined. As to fertility of soil and capabilities of raising bread and meat for the support of mankind, its healthful climate, and, in short, its combined advantages, we may safely say that there is not another spot of its size upon the face of the earth that equals it. The men who labor and cultivate this soil, are, in almost every instance, the own

ers of the soil which they cultivate. But, whether a man owns the land or not, he is equally as free as the owner. He calls no man master. He bows in reverence to none except his God. We claim to be citizens of the most free and independent nation upon the earth. If the members of our legislature displease us, we leave them at home aud send others in their plaçes. If the governor does not satisfy the majority of the people of the state, he is quietly left at his home, and another man elevated to his place. If a member of either house of Congress votes or otherwise conducts himself in any manner unsatisfactory to his constituents, they have no hesitation about restoring him to private life and sending another man whom they suppose will be more obedient to their will. All this is done quietly and without disorder or disturbance of any kind. The people are literally their own masters, and the law-makers are their servants.

Again, in all that goes to make the ordinary comforts of everyday life, we are the most wealthy people upon the earth. This may seem a strange statement to some present, and I do not mean to say that we have more gold and silver than any other people; but, gentlemen, did it ever occur to you that the West and Northwest is the only territory of any size in the world where the masses of the people can afford to have wheat bread, butter and meat as the main articles of their daily food; And yet, such is the fact, that no nation, either ancient or modern, has ever before been able to provide the above named articles in sufficient quantity and at prices to place them within the reach of the laboring classes as articles of daily food. Our stock of all kinds is almost incomparably in advance of that of any previous to this century. In short, the last quarter of a century has almost completely revolutionized the science of agriculture. It is doubtless evident to all that the next twenty-five years are to be marked with still greater changes, and that they are to be in favor of the cultivator of the soil, provided he is wideawake and takes his place in the steady march of improvements as they come along. The dull, ignorant plodder who refuses to do otherwise than as his fathers did, and believes that they knew it all, will be utterly forsaken and forgotten. No, perhaps not quite forgotten, he will serve us to look back to, and see the advances we have made. I run no risk of hurting the feelings of any of this class, as they never attend conventions, neither do they ever take