RKBP-054

[in other handwriting: 612] Office of the Michigan State Agricultural Society Detroit July 27th 1855 Doct. J.A. Kennicott Cor. Sec. Ill. State Agl. Soc Dear Sir Your very acceptable note of the 26th inst. is received. I accept your invitation to be present at your State Fair and intend to be there if possible. I would like to attend the the state fair in Ohio also but will not be able to leave home at that time. It would be exceedingly gratifying to me to join your Rail Road excursion and in compliance with your request I send you the following names, viz: Andrew Y. Moore, Schoolcraft, Kalamazoo Co.} President Mich. State Agricult. Soc.} J.C. Holmes – Secty – Detroit. James Dougall – Post Office at Detroit Sirus Cone, of Troy, Mich.} Mr. Cone is one of our best farmers} Saml. M. Bartlett, LaSalle, Monroe Co. Mr Bartlett is a prominent man here,

is a member of the Executive Committee of our State Agl. Soc and is doing much in the cause of Agricultural education. Kinsley S. Bingham is the Governor of our State, he farms extensively and is [illegible: alive?] to improvements in Agriculture. His residence & Post Office are at Green Oak, Livingston County. He also receives letters at Lansing, the Capitol of the State. I have here given you six names and as I cannot say which to leave out provided you cannot invite all of them, I must leave it to you to act your pleasure in distributing tickets to such of them as you think best. Provided these persons cannot attend I give the following list. R.F. Johnstone, Editor – Mich Farmer} Post office at Detroit} John Starkweather, Ypsilanti, Wm. H. Miller, Moscow, a good} farmer and breeder of cattle.} David M. Uhl, Ypsilanti, one of our best farmers & breeder of cattle

and horses. For prominent men in other states I would name Charles L. Flint, Boston, Mass. Secretary, Mass. Board of Agriculture. J.W. Proctor, Danvers, Mass. Allen W. Dodge, Hamilton, Mass. These are prominent men in Agriculture matters as you will find by reference to the [strikethrough: illegible] Massachusetts reports but I doubt if they have ever visited the Western States. I see you are beginning to enjoy the pleasures or horrors that are inseparable from the office of Secretary of a State Agricultural Society. No one who has not tried it can imagine the amount of labor and perplexity there is connected with the office. I have just sent to the printer between 600 & 700 pages of manuscript – Transactions for 1854. Preparing for the coming fair is no small job. We would be pleased to see you at our fair but I feel quite certain that

you will have your hands full at that time, particularly if you go to Ohio and give an address there. Our Agricultural College has made some extra work for me for several months past, I want to push it ahead as fast as possible. It has rained here most of the time for a week past and I fear it has done much injury to the wheat. To day it is clear and very hot. Very truly Yours J.C. Holmes Secty. Mich State Agricult. Soc