322 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ful experiments in every locality in the State, is now almost 

 universally admitted, and the good which may be accomplished 

 in this manner must be apparent to all. Suppose, for instance, 

 a superior blood male animal were kept for the purpose of 

 breeding at the town farm in every farming town in the country, 

 to which the farmers of the town could have access at a rea- 

 sonable charge, is it not evident that the value of the stock of 

 the town would be increased, as its quality was improved ? 

 The cost of obtaining and keeping might be an item sufficient 

 to put it beyond the power of an individual farmer in the town, 

 but to all collectively, it would be but small, while all could 

 derive a benefit from it. • 



A careful series of experiments in manures and crops, like 

 those stated above, would be the means of saving thousands of 

 dollars to the Commonwealth, which are now wasted in fruit- 

 less experiment, conducted without the system and co-operation 

 which experiments on the town farms would give, especially if 

 these experiments were continued several years under the same 

 direction and control. 



The importance of cultivating seeds for the purpose of sup- 

 plying a neighborhood or a town is, also, too apparent to need 

 illustration, and this culture might be undertaken, in many 

 instances, with profit to the town, upon the town farm, and with 

 comparatively little expense, if not, indeed, with direct profit 

 to the farm itself. As already stated, in another place, the far- 

 mer is often compelled to purchase his seed of dealers who 

 cannot themselves trace its history, and the conseqiiemce is, 

 often, the loss of a crop and the labor of cultivation, from the 

 fact that much of the seed, being old, fails to germinate, when, 

 of course, a serious loss is incurred by tlie farmer, which, as it 

 affects many individuals, becomes a matter of great public 

 importance. 



Few are aware how extensive and serious are the failures 

 throughout the State, in consequence of bad seed, and these 

 failures, or many of them, might be avoided by turning atten- 

 tion to seed culture upon town farms, where they can be under 

 proper management. The advantage of this arrangement 

 would be, that farmers could purchase their seed with greater 

 confidence, since they would know how much reliance to place 

 upon it. If it were found to be impracticable or inconvenient, 



