CONNECTION OF THE BOARD WITH THE COLLEGE. 227 



formed these acts. Bearing in mind that they provide for the 

 intimate connection between the board and the government of the 

 Commonwealth, through the governor, lieutenant-governor and 

 secretary of the Commonwealth, we should also remember how 

 they require the utmost vigilance in observing and collecting all 

 facts valuable to the farmer. The board is a representative body 

 — a collection of delegates — one from each agricultural society ; 

 and these societies are so organized as to include every farm and 

 accommodate every farmer in the State. The board is autherized, 

 with its secretary, to "investigate such subjects relating to agri- 

 culture in this State as they think proper ;" and as if to fix 

 definitely the nature of its duties, it is also empowered to "hold 

 in trust, and exercise control over donations or bequests made to 

 them for promoting agricultural education." It is required to make 

 a detailed report of its doings annually to the legislature ; and the 

 secretary of the board is authorized to " appoint one or more 

 suitable agents to visit the towns in the State, under the direction 

 of the board, for the purpose of inquiring into the methods and 

 wants of practical husbandry, ascertaining the adaptation of agri- 

 cultural products to soil, climate and markets, encouraging the 

 establishment of farmers' clubs, agricultural libraries and reading- 

 rooms, and of disseminating useful information in agriculture by 

 means of lectures and otherwise." From the above provisions of 

 the act establishing the board, it is evident that its founders in- 

 tended it as an educational system, obtaining information wher- 

 ever it could be found, and sending it abroad throughout all the 

 agricultural districts of the State. The power to hold property 

 in trust for the benefit of agricultural education should not be 

 forgotten. And the power granted to the secretary to appoint 

 "suitable agents," missionaries, as it were, to the societies and 

 clubs and agricultural libraries, creates a system of investigation 

 and teaching hardly equalled by the well-endowed organization of 

 the board of education. 



The encouragement which the State has given to agricultural 

 societies by bounties, is coupled with a provision, which also 

 shows how devoted to the work of " agricultural education " were 

 the framers of this series of acts, and how entirely they intended 

 the board and the societies as institutions of agricultural learning. 

 The section containing this provision I shall quote entire, for it 

 seems to me that it has been somewhat overlooked by those who 

 receive the liberal bounty of the State, and who should be willing 



