THE STATE FARM. 69 



THE STATE FARM. 



From an Address before the Franklin Agricultural Society, Oct. 2, 1856. 



BY C. L. FLINT. 



I propose to speak to yoii of the operations of the Board of 

 Agriculture, as connected with the management of tlie State 

 Farm at Westboro', in which you as farmers, and all the citizens 

 of the Commonwealth, have a direct interest. 



But first I will state, as briefly as possible, what the Board 

 has already accomplished, and is daily accomplishing, in the 

 fulfilment of the legitimate objects of its creation, for the man- 

 agement of the State Farm was not originally contemj)lated as 

 a part of its objects or duties. 



The Board of Agriculture is not a corporate body or society, 

 but a Department of the Government, organized like any other 

 department, with his Excellency the Governor for the time 

 being, as its head. It is composed, mainly, of farmers, and 

 wholly of men chosen by and to represent farmers, with the 

 exception of the Governor, Lt. Governor and Secretary of State, 

 who are members by virtue of their office, and three others 

 appointed by the Governor and Council, whose terms of service 

 continue three years, one of the three being changed or reap- 

 pointed each year. Each of the regularly incorporated agricul- 

 tural societies receiving the bounty of the State, has the power 

 of choosing one member of the Board, whose term of service 

 also continues three years. At present there are twenty-one of 

 these societies, and of course when the Board is full there are 

 twenty-one members chosen by the farmers themselves, three 

 holding their offices by appointment, and three ex officio. 



From the manner in which the Board is constituted you will 

 perceive, that it must naturally form a pretty fair representation 

 of all varieties of agricultural knowledge in the State. A 

 majority of the members selected by the societies, made up as 



