74 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. 



It will be recollected that the Legislature passed an act two 

 years ago requiring assessors to rJ^ake return to the office of the 

 Secretary of State, of Agricultural Statistics according to the facts 

 as they existed on the first of April in each year. Returns were* 

 received the following year from three hundred and fourteen (314) 

 towns and plantations. From one hundred and ninety-one (191) 

 none were received. The requirement being a novel one and its 

 purpose being at first but imperfectly understood, it was hoped 

 that the returns would become more perfect and complete in the 

 future. The hope has not been realized thus far, for during the 

 past season returns were received from only two hundred and 

 thirty-seven (237) towns and plantations, while from two hundred 

 and sixty-eight (268) or more than one-half, none were received. 

 In this state of the case much doubt was felt as to the expediency 

 of bestowing the very considerable time and labor necessary to 

 prepare an abstract for public use. No provision was made by the 

 act itself for any method by which they could be made available to 

 the agricultural community, and if done at all it must be by volun- 

 teer and gratuitous labor. The value of statistics depends in the 

 first place upon accuracy and completeness. These are certainly 

 lacking in regard to the last ; but their value also depends not 

 less upon uninterrupted continuance during a considerable term of 

 years. 



It is this latter consideration, mainly, which induces me here to 

 present the following abstract of the returns — incomplete as they 

 are — for if tfie plan of collecting them be continued, and its execu- 

 tion be properly improved, even these may furnish a very accepta- 

 ble contribution to the data from which, hereafter, most valuable 

 practical deductions are to be drawn. For the present we merely 

 remark that an examinatioii and comparison of these with those of 

 last year will exhibit numerous points of interest and furnish many 

 instructive suggestions. 



