Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-10-11
a DID -
GOVERNOR or THE STATE OF INDIANA.
Pronounced at tie Ne,e Yorl, agricultural STAT
fai, at E7o,ira, O9. ), 1879

roduceth.
OF the soul of ,nan--in the superiority and
of which we all helicye-it Is
lot nv province, nor is this an OCCASION, to
DISCOURSE. Considered simply in his material
nature produced, nourshed. and repro
luccd. as that nature is, from the earth and
Is iruits-Inan is not a wanderer, vho, alter
through the universe, has 81
ecled this beautiful farm Of the Earth for his
residence and heritage. lie is part OF 1t.
In common with its other productions, veSc-
table and animal, he has risen from, and lives
upon. its bosom. lie is the last born-the /
perfection Of its fruits.
In common with the grasses, grains, and !.
fruits, upon which he slthsist. ne is subject to /
The LAW of dissolution and decay. Dust thou
an and unto dust shalt thou return, Is the
law of the material nan, as surely as ii Is the
law Of the soul that it shall return unto God
who gave II:
Each speed them 90 their scnr.e
returning Ia their respective treasures the life
and wealth which was lOlUcl them.
Such. then, being the nature OF our alliance
with tho Earth. its cultivation become our first
dnty and necessity. 1t is the normal enjoy
mont of man: and uOnc other IS so natural
a.d honorable. The sweet instinct. and the
Gentle purity, Of the sucking nesting in the
bosom of its mother. are but counterparts OF
fine purity and dignity OF the true and diliSent
cultivator Of the Earth.
In the prosecution Of this work, we must
understand, and act IN conformity with, the
laws Of nature. Science, in investigation and
expounding these laws, appears nowhere mere
useful and graceful than as the handmade OF
tho former. Concerning these laws, we can
@aiher information from the history of the
creation. in the first chapter of Genesis, a hiStO-
nv as remarkable for IFS science as Tor Its SIM
/ plicity.
At first 'thc eartn was without form and
I void. and darkness was on the face OF the
deer" The elements of the earth were all
I there, rude and unshapen, upon the lace OF
whose morasses and depths darkness rested.
/ There was no land-no water-no clouds, or
fertilzing showers--nO light-no armament
Now. how was order brought out of this
chaos? And what was the first great agrlcul
tural result? The first command was, Let
there be light; and there was light Thus,
in order of creation, was established that law
which has ever since prevailed, making light
1 at first and indispensable element in the pro-
duction Of the earth.
/ In connection with this was established the
law under which we find repose necessary
alienation to stimulus. The light nourlshes
and stimulate; darkness, therefore, preceedes
! II rs n pcriod Of rest. 'AndGOd called the
light day; and the darkness he called light
4 and the evening and the morning were the
first day..
The next step in the process, was that
which assigned 10 the heavens and the earth
}, their separate powers of fertility. Light,
!. evaporating the waters, held portion IN sus-
nense. TO descend, in due time, in lertllizing
rains and showers "And God said, let there
he n armament in the midst of the waters
and let il divide the waters from the waters. y
I Then followed the separation of the land and
the water; and God called the dry land earth,
/ and the gathering together Of the waters cali
I cd he seas
Now all was in preparation for production
and fertility and, before the creation of man.
or animated nature, "God said, let The ea1tl
; J,faq forth grass" Thus, the pioneer settler
who now penetrates the vast forests which
cover with darkness the soil he proposes tC
subdue, first, in conformity with the order Of
creation. saws. "fet there I've light;n and Tho
I
command til the trees Glow, and the eight
ereets the soil The waters are exhaled by
its kisses, and ascend above the armament
the bitches are dug aud every throw of The
/ busy spade says, "Lct the waters under tn,
1 heavens be gathered together in one place
/, ard let the dry land appear" in order tina
the earth may bring forth grass.
Grass-qrass-the great material whicl
supports al flesh, and forms the material IA
ture of man himself. Grass-thc cultivation
and perfection Of whiehit becomes one of tn
G first duties Of the hIlsbanAman to promote.
e. Though this "a the oldest command, an'
lies at the foundation ofall agricultural wealth
! vet, the subject to which il has relation re
ceivcs from agriculturisls less thought, les
attention, less investigation, than is given b,
them to any other subject of rural interest.
! Our zeal, industry. and wealth have beer
freely expended in the practical illustration
Of improved methods Of cultvating grains
fruits, and vegetables, and in the improve
ments Of our stock, farming implements, an'
7 machinery. We hive imported, at great ex
n pense. all kinds of domestic animals; on
State fairs and our c0uuty fairs annually fur
nish reports, ESSAYS, and addresses, on ever,
I branch of agricultural Industry ;wc have book
} and learned treatises ON horses, cattle, sheer
: swine, and even poultry and many volume
, Of useful ESSAYS Ou cotton. wheat, corp, pota
toes, fruits, rice, flax, hemp, and tobacco
All well enough: yet, al this day, we hav,
not book report, or pamphlet, that inrnishe
5 the American farmer with even the names o
, the grasses of his country, Gp say nothing o
, that essential information which, by the test
of science, fixes the value OF each kind, ant
determines the question OF its adaptation tc
different soils, and to different sections of thu
United States.
The American farmer cultlyales, or, t
speak more correctly, he beStows some atten
ton on the cultivation OF ten or dozen Kinds
of grasses while the teeming earth, wlthou
tillage, furnishes innumcrablc varieties ot thI
staff of animal life, in all ATTITUDES and lnnSi
tudes throughout our widespread country
No crop approaches so near spontaneous
uncultvated yield, as the grass. and none pay:
so large profit. While it il is impossible
for me to state, with precision, the annual val
ue of this crop, do not hesitate to expires:
the opinion that, in tbs country, tie hay c,of
alone, imperfect as it Is, and receiving so lit
tie attention, is greater in value, at this day
than the combined crops Of cotton, rice, and
tobacco.
According to the census of 1910. the mere
hay crop of the United States. was &c, 24S, lOe
tons in 1850, it was l3 S36, $40 tons. esti-
mate the hay crop of 1855, at 1900 600 tons
which, at ten dollars per ton, would amount
I 10 SI5OOO0OOO The cotton crop 1888, Is
valued at SI2S,OOoOOo Of the bay crop
more than one halfis produced by four States;
10 wit-New York, Ohio, Indiana, and Hi
nOis--your own state producing more than
one loursh oethe whole and yet no State has
made this article a primary object OF cultiva-
ton.
We treat the hay crop as one Of minor lmper-
! lance. But little attention Is paid TO 1.-THE
meadow must wait till the other crops are dis
posed of; then the grass is cut, too often with.
out any reference to its condition, or any well
prepared place for ia reception.
I The value of the lay crop OF this country,
I however, is not equal to the value Of the grass
7 croD anproDriaiel To paStura0e, even IN the