22 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



In January, 185G, tlie executive committee of the state society 

 met as provided by law, and was found to be composed in part, 

 of members elected by the county societies expressly for the 

 purpose of using their influence to secure the repeal of the ob- 

 noxious statute. Hence, one of the first steps taken on their 

 assembling, was the consideration of this subject. The result 

 of mature deliberation was the re-adioption of the three bills of 

 the previous session, with a few unimportant amendments ; and 

 they were accordingly reported to tlie appropriate committee, 

 with the request that if they could not be passed, that the 

 enactment then in force might at least be repealed, thus leaving 

 them in no worse condition than before. The remainder, and 

 larger portion of the session was occupied in the discharge of 

 their duties to the State Society, as its committee, and chielly in 

 the preparation of a schedule of premiums to be ofiered, and of 

 the lists of questions to be answered by competitors, in order 

 to elicit the greatest practicable amount of accurate and dermite 

 statements regarding the best modes of growing crops, raising 

 cattle, the manufacture of dairy products, etc., so that the results 

 of experience thus gained might be made available to all the 

 farmers of the state. 



The bills as reported were acceptable to the committee of 

 the Legislature, which was composed in part of some of the 

 most intelligent and successful cultivators of the soil. But 

 during their jmssage, objections were raised and some altera- 

 tions made; one reducing the number of members to one from 

 each county, instead of one from each incorporated society ; an- 

 other rendering the election of all its members annual, instead 

 of a third each year, as proposed, (and similar to the plan now 

 so satisfactorily in operation regarding county commissioners 

 and superintending school committees) the effect of which must 

 be, that plans, schemes and discussions with the trains of thought 

 connected therewith, of one session, are liable to be repeated 

 over and over again at subsequent ones, and thus, the whole of 

 the brief period allotted, virtually lost ; whereas, by tlie other 

 mode, conclusions and results once obtained, are so much actual 

 gain, and the time saved for farther advances. Objection was 

 also made to allowing horticultural societies to share in the 

 bounty of the state, as they have hitherto done, on the grouncl 

 that no practical good thus resulted to the agi'icultur&A interest. 



