Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1851-10-27
Address of HOn.s IL ben.Ncwton.t
At the Portage County AGRICULTURAL
Fair October ed, 1861.


ii am somewhat embarrassed in appearing
before you, having but few days since ad-
dressed nelgh5 ring Society upon the same
subject am now called 10 address you. l
then found it necessary 10 labor to discharge
my duty to them, and myself; and cannot
now avoid repeating some things then said,
and perhaps in nearly the same .nguage, for
they needed the whole of my thoughts, and so
do you and they are not capacous enough to
be entirely new. Twill ded cate that feeble
production to you, and consider it part no,
here to be repeated, but consider ed.
Agricultural Societies are the nurseries
and schools fnrthe science aud practice ofag
'culture. There is no other agent so efftc-
tive or efficient. They are the great store
house of nature and man combined to assist
each 9th r. Here nature places her animals,
plants, shrubs, vegetables ard flowers; and
man his attention to hem, and improvement
upon them, and they corjoin ly work and CO.
operate together to show the v. g. table and
plant ON its termination to its maturity and
perfection; aud also the animal from its birth
to its highest improvement, in order that all
may see the operation Of the combined agen-
ces in their greatest beauty. Here also is
shown the operation Of mind, uron the mate-
rlals OF .ture, in its greatest reflection, uiil-
ity and beauty. Here, too, is the great mar
ket f + mind and body to contemplate and en-
joy. H re they cao refer back to what the
country was fifty years since, without farms,
domestic animals, roads, buildings, inple-
ments Of husbandry, and society, and all its
comforts; and contemplate it with farms ex-
tended an highly cultivated, ornamented
with magnificent dwellings, orchards, fruits
and flowers, surrounded with d. mesiic ami
mails Of all varieties, improved and cultivated !;
connected and linked together by roads ef the
highest order and improvement, and society
for the enjoyment of all tLese improvements
and comforts. .t-.--
America is the greatest agricultural caua-
try in the Universe; ard Ohio among the best
portion Of it. These facts sec m to be unc6n-
troverted, if it nct 80, the herds Of cattle, hor-
ses, sheep and hogs thut are taken yealy
raised, would satisfy all. More domestic an
imals are driven from this State than from
any other State or Kingdom il the World, ]
will venture to say, without positive knowledge
This is evidence Of capacity and enterprise us
an agriculturist, but it may not be Of oui
most advantageous growth. If we in return
are under the necessity of expendng for man
factured articles, all our agricultural products
we may not be using our vast resources in the
most advantageous manner. Any country
rich in agricultural products and in mineral
resources, and facilities for using them, should
bring the agriculturist and manufacturer in
close cont'guity, in order that the products Of
the one may feed the laboreEs of the other.
There is probably no Nation in the world
that has as lit le nationality in business as
America. The whole world is her theater Of
action; she deals with all the nations Of the
earth-she travels among all-she lives in a
she has products enough to feed all, and
could clothe all were her resources fully de-
veloped. If she could drive the best bargain
with an Arab, an Hottentot, or Chinese, she
would find him and deal with him as soon as
with her own countrymen, for her sails
whiten every sea, and The wor bounds her
enterprise.
Ohio is yet new country. In about fifty
years her vast agricultural products have been
developed to their present condition. With
in about the same period her two million peo-
pie have been located over her occupied ter
ritory, and Agriculture was the first great
lending business. 1t is the; first leading bust.
ness of all nations and people. 1t is the first
business child learns and the last business
in which old age is employed. Fool is the
first want of the body--clothing is an incident
to make it comfortable. The most natura
business upon our tel ritory is agriculture, and
the people have as yet made it. the leading
business. AS her products accum llated. she
has made channels Of communication upon
which to transport it.
No Government in The world, of the age Of
Onio, can ooast. OF as great facliifes Iof liter
national communication, by turnpkes, rivers
improved, canals, rail roads and plank roads.
The important thoroughfares already made.
and in course of construction, are furnishing
and will furnish great facilities for transport
ing our products and fabrics. Cast your
mind over the World, become informed of all
the public Improvements of other States and
coun ries, and.learn if The same rumber of
miles, constructed in The same substantial man.
ner, have been built for the same money.
When abroad inquired extensively as to
The cost cf their public improvements, and
have no hesitation in saying they cost much
more than ours. Pennsylvania, New York
and Massachusetts are the only three States
that bear any comparison to ours in number
of miles, and in those STATES their expenses
have far exceeded ours. In Pennsylvania
great confusion exists in their railroads. No
continuous, uninterrupted route from the east
ern cities t, the west, through Pittsburgh, ex-
T. tboir do hava cost much