This statue of Lincoln at tbe University of Wisconsin is a repljca of liie original
by Adolph Weinman on the Lincoln Memorial Parm, Hodgenville, Kentucky.

Bulletin of the University of Wisconsin;
Serial No. 875: Gen. Series No. 668

LINCOLN'S
MESSAGE

— TO —

WISCONSIN
FARMERS

MILWAUKEE
Sept. 30, 1859

ilADISOX

Piiblislierl by tlie University

S'Ptember, 1917

;ufd niontiily by the University of Wisconsin at Mad-
n. Entered" as stiond class matter July 11, 1916,
the postoffice at Madison, Wisconsin, under the
act of August 24, 1912.

Digitized by tine Internet Arcliive

in 2010 witli funding from

Tine Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

http://www.archive.org/details/lincolnsmessagetOOIinc

Looking Forward in Farming

Some messages to Wisconsin farmers, taken from an address by
Abraham Lincoln, given at the State Fair in Milwaukee in Septem-
ber, 1859.

When Lincoln, on the eve of his first election to the presidency, made this famous ad-
dress at the ninth annual fair of the Wisconsin State Agricultvtral Society, he spoke words of
prophetic wisdom.

In opening his remarks, Lincoln referred to Wisconsin as a ''growing and soon to be
prosperous State." He was right.

In 1859 there were 56 counties in Wisconsin instead of 71 as there are today.

There were 3,746,000 acres of improved Wisconsin farm land in 1859. Now there are
about 12,000,000 acres.

The valuation of Wisconsin live stock in 1859 was only $18,500,000, against a total of
more than $255,000,000 at present.

Twelve railroads, had 943 miles of track laid in Wisconsin in 1859. In 1917 there were
42 railroads in the state, operating 7602 miles of track.

The officials of the State Agricitltural Societj'- who acted as hosts to Abraham Lincoln
on his visit to Milwaukee included : J. P. Willard, Janesville, president ; 0. F. Bartlett, East
Troy, J. V. Robbius, Madison, F. D. McCarthy, Fond du Lac, vice presidents; D. J. Powers,
Madison, secretary; and David Atwood, Madison, treasurer.

1INC0LN was a doer. Not three years had passed after he had paid tribute to the
value of an agricultural education in his address at the Wisconsin State Fair of 1859
_i before he had signed the Land Grant Act, which provided for colleges of agricul-
ture and mechanical arts. The establishment of the College of Agriculture, Univer-
sitj' of Wisconsin originated under that act.

If Lincoln were with us now. knowing the world situation, the need for food, the neces-
sity of having trained men on the farm and others to assist them in fighting threatening
plant and animal diseases by the aid of science, his advice to Wisconsin youth, not called to
other duties, would be as plainly expressed as it is in these pages.

Lincoln would agree with President Wilson, that young people should if possible, "avail
themselves this year of the opportunities offered by the colleges and technical schools, to the
end that the country may not lack an adequate supply of trained men and women."

The College of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin, offers :

Three courses beginning in September annually — A four-year course in agriculture; a
two-year course in agriculture : and a four-year course in home economics.

One course beginning in November annually — The Short Course in agriculture, consist-
ing of fifteen weeks each winter, divided, for convenience, into three periods of five weeks
each. The course is complete in thirty weeks, or two seasons of study. It is open to youths
with a common school education.

One special course in dairy manufacturing— given at the Dairy School where the Bab-
cock test was invented, and consisting of twelve weeks of practical work, beginning early in
November. This course is open to youths who have had at least one year's experience in the
work and who possess a common school education.

THE chief use of Agricultural Fairs is to aid in improving the
great calling of Agriculture, in all its departments, and minute
divisions; to make mutual exchange of agricultural discovery,
information, and knowledge; so that, at the end, all may know^ every-
thing, which may have been know^n to but one, or to but few, at the
beginning; to bring together, especially, all w^hich is supposed not to
be generally knovv^n, because of recent discovery or invention. And
not only to bring together, and to impart all vs^hich has been acci-
dentally discovered or invented upon ordinary motive; but, by excit-
ing emulation, for premiums, and for the pride and honor of success
— of triumph, in some sort — to stimulate that discovery and invention
into extraordinary activity.

I PRESUME I am not expected to employ the time assigned me in
the mere flattery of the farmers, as a class. But farmers, being
the most numerous class, it follows that their interest is the larg-
est interest. It also follows that that interest is most worthy of all
to be cherished and cultivated — that if there be inevitable conflict be-
t^A^een that interest and any other, that other should yield.

MY FIRST suggestion is an inquiry as to the effect of greater
thoroughness in all the departments of Agriculture than now^
prevails in the northw^est — perhaps 1 might say in America.
It is true, that heretofore w^e have had better crops, w^ith no better
cultivation; but I believe it is also true that the soil has never been
pushed up to one-half of its capacity.

What would be the effect upon the farming interest, to push the
soil up to something near its full capacity? Unquestionably it will

take more labor to produce fifty bushels from an acre, than it will to
produce ten bushels, from the same acre. But will it take more labor
to produce fifty bushels from one acre, than from five? Unquestion-
ably, thorough cultivation w^ill require more labor to the acre; but
w^ill it require more to the bushel? If it should require just as much to
the bushel, there are some probable, and several certain advantages
in favor of the thorough practice. It is almost certain, I think, that in
the deeper plowing, analysis of the soils, experiments v/ith manures,
and varieties of seeds, observance of seasons, and the like, these
causes for low^ yields would be found. It is certain that thorough cul-
tivation w^ould spare half, or more than half the cost of land, simply
because the same product w^ould be got from half, or from less than
half the quantity of land. This proposition is self-evident, and can be
made no plainer by repetitions or illustrations. The cost of land is a
great item, even in new^ countries; and constantly grow^s greater and
greater, in comparison with other items, as the country grov/s older.

THE effect of thorough cultivation upon the farmer's own mind,
and in reaction through his mind, back upon his business, is
perhaps quite equal to any other of its effects. Every man is
proud of w^hat he does well; and no man is proud of that he does not
do well. With the former, his heart is in his w^ork; and he wdll do
tw^ice as much of it w^ith less fatigue. The latter he performs a lit-
tle imperfectly, looks at it in disgust, turns from it, and imagines
himself exceedingly tired. The little he has done comes to nothing,
for w^ant of finishing.

^j ^HE man w^ho produces a good full crop w^ill scarcely ever let amy
X part of it go to v^raste. He w^ill keep up the enclosure about
it, and allow neither man nor beast to trespass upon it. He will
gather it in due season and store it in perfect security. Thus he la-
bors with satisfaction, and saves himself the w^hole fruit of his labor.
The other, starting v/ith no purpose for a full crop, labors less, and
writh less satisfaction; allow^s his fence to fall, and cattle to trespass;

gathers not in due season, or not at all. Thus the labor he has per-
formed, is wasted away, little by little, till in the end he derives
scarcely anything from it.

AGAIN, a great amount of "locomotion" is spared by thorough
cultivation. Take fifty bushels of w^heat, ready for the harvest,
standing upon a single acre, and it can be harvested in any of
the known ways, wdth less than half the labor which would be re-
quired if it w^ere spread over five acres. This M^ould be true, if cut
by the old hand sickle; true, to a greater extent, if by the machines
novv^ in use. '^ * ^ In the highest degree of perfection yet reached
in applying the horse pow^er to harvesting, fully nine-tenths of the
pow^er is expended by the animal in carrying himself and dragging
the machine over the field, leaving certainly not more than one-tenth
to be applied directly to the only end of the whole operation — the

gathering in of the grain, and clipping of the straw. * * * And
vv^hat I have said of harvesting is true, in a greater or less degree of
mowing, plowing, gathering in of crops generally, and, indeed, of al-
most all farm work.

I HAVE thought a good deal, in an abstract w^ay about a steam
plov/. That one which shall be so contrived as to apply the larger

proportion of its power to the cutting and turning the soil, and
the smallest, to the moving itself over the field, wall be the best one. It
is to be hoped that the steam plow w^ill be finally successful, and if it
shall be, "thorough cultivation" — putting the soil to the top of its
capacity — producing the largest crop possible from a given quantity
of ground — will be most favorable for it. * * '^ * *

Our thanks, and something more substantial than thanks, are due
to every man engaged in the effort to produce a successful steam

plow. Even the unsuccessful will bring something to light which in
the hands of others w^ill contribute to the final success.

NO OTHER human occupation opens so ^^^ide a field for the
profitable and agreeable combination of labor with cultivated
thought, as agriculture. 1 know^ nothing so pleasant to the
mind as the discovery of anything that is at once new and valuable —
nothing that so lightens and sweetens toil, as the hopeful pursuit of
such discovery. And how^ vast, and how varied a field is agricul-
ture, for such discovery! The mind, already trained to thought, in the
country schools or higher school, cannot fail to find there an ex-
haustless source of enjoyment. Every blade of grass is a study;
* * * and not grass alone; but soils, seeds, and seasons — hedges,
ditches, and fences, draining, drouths, and irrigation — plowing, hoe-
ing, and harrow^ing — reaping, mowing, and threshing — saving crops.

pests of crops, diseases of crops, and what "will prevent or cure them —
implements, utensils, and machines, their relative merits, and to im-
prove them — hogs, horses, and cattle — sheep, goats, and poultry —
trees, shrubs, fruits, plants, and fl owners — the thousand things of
vv^hich these are specimens — each a world of study within itself.

In all this, book learning is available. A capacity and taste for
reading gives access to w^hatever has already been discovered by
others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved prob-
lems. It gives a relish and facility for successfully pursuing the un-
solved ones. The rudiments of science are available, and highly
valuable. Some knowledge of botany assists in dealing with the
vegetable v^^orld — w^ith all growling crops. Chemistry assists in the
analysis of soils, selection, and application of manures, and in nu-
merous other w^ays. The mechanical branches of natural philosophy
are ready help in almost everything; but especially in reference to im-
plements and machinery.

THE THOUGHT recurs that education — cultivated thought —
can best be combined vs^ith agricultural labor, or any labor, on the
principle of thorough work — that careless, half-performed, slov-
enly vv^ork, makes no place for such combination. And thorough w^ork,
,again, renders sufficient the smallest quantity of ground to each
man. And this again, conforms to v\^hat must occur in a world less in-
clined to wars, and more devoted to the arts of peace than heretofore.
Population must increase rapidly — more rapidly than in former times
— and ere long the most valuable of all arts w^ill be the art of deriving a
comfortable subsistence from the smallest area of soil. No commun-
ity w^hose every member possesses this art, can ever be the victim of
oppression in any of its forms. Such community will be alike inde-
pendent of crow^ned-kings, money-kings, and land-kings.

IT IS SAID an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to in-
vent him a sentence, to be ever in view^, and which should be true
and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him
the vv^ords, "And this, too, shall pass away." How much it ex-
presses! How^ chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in
the depths of affliction! "And this too, shall pass away." And yet,
let us hope, it is not quite true. Let us hope, rather, that by the best
cultivation of the physical world, beneath and around us, and the in-
tellectual and moral world within us, we shall secure an individual,
social and political prosperity and happiness, whose course shall be
onward and upward, and which, while the earth endures, shall not
pass avv^ay.

;iooS}. os'-i, j'^'^f,