34 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



Thursday Morning, January 25, 1900. 



Th*e Board met at 9 A. M., Vice President H. A. Gripp in the 

 chair. 



The first paper was by Hon. A. L. Martin, Deputy Secretary of 

 the Department of Agriculture, on "Agriculture, the Past and the 

 Present." Prof. Heiges, after discussing the question, moved the 

 following resolution: "Resolved, That the United States govern- 

 ment establish free mail delivery for the rural districts as rapidly 

 as possible," which was unanimously carried. 



The next was an address by Dr. H. P. Armsby, Director of the 

 State Experiment vStation, on the "Education of the Farmer," Dis- 

 cussion by Messrs. Northup and Downing. 



On motion of Mr. Downing, the following resolutions were pre- 

 sented: 



"Resolved, That a special committee of five be appointed by the 

 Chair to investigate the present condition and needs of Agricultural 

 Education in all its branches in this Commonwealth. 



Resolved, That this Committee be instructed to arrange for a 

 conference upon this subject, at some suitable time and place, with 

 representatives of the State Department of Agriculture, the De- 

 partment of Public Instruction, the Pennsylvania State College, the 

 State Grange, the State Farmers' Alliance, the Pennsylvania Dairy 

 Union, and any other State agricultural organization desiring to be 

 represented. 



Resolved, That the Committee hereby provided for be empowered 

 to represent the State Board of Agriculture in such conference and 

 to join, in the name of the Board, in such subsequent action as may 

 be agreed upon, reporting its conclusions and actions to the next 

 succeeding meeting of the Board." 



After discussion by Messrs. Sexton, Vallershamp, Herr, Barnhart, 

 Armsby and Mrs. Starr, the resolutions were unanimously adopted, 

 and it was then moved that the following committee be appointed 

 to carry them into effect: S. R. Downing. Chairman. West Chester; 

 W. H. Brosius, Lancaster; M. N. Clark. Westmoreland; Edwin 

 Lonsdale. Philadelphia, and R. J. Weld. Warren. 



The next paper was by Edwin Lonsdale, of Philadelphia, entitled 

 "Flori-culture as a Profession." 



The Committee on Necrology then presented its report throutrh its 

 chairman. Prof. S. B. Heiges. The report was. after remarks by 

 Prof. Heiges, Hamilton. Herr and Clark, adopted by a rising vote, 

 and directed to be spread upon the minutes, and is as follows: 



"TMiereas, An All-wise God in his inscrutable providence has seen 

 fit to remove from our midst John McDowell, of Washington coun- 



