308 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



days. If they appreciated these meetings as they ought, it 

 seems to me they would have been present here in large num- 

 bers. When I heard it suggested that the young men should 

 be thanked for attending this Convention, I said to myself, 

 " The young men certainly ought to thank the Convention for 

 what they have heard at its sessions," and when 1 heard the 

 vote of thanks to the people of Waterbury, I said to myself, 

 " The people of Waterbury ought to thank them now for the 

 papers which have been read, for the lectures which have 

 been delivered, and for the presence of these men, represent- 

 'ing our rural districts so well as they have represented tliem 

 here during these three days." I have not been able to be 

 present at all your sessions ; I have been present when I 

 have been able to. It is not the first Farmers' Convention 

 that I have attended, but I have not attended many, and per- 

 haps that has been the reason why I have been somewhat sur- 

 prised, and I must say it has been a pleasant surprise to me, 

 by the conduct of this convention, the quality of the papers 

 that have been read, and, you will allow me to say, by the 

 quality of the thought, and the quality of the speech, to 

 which I have listened from day to day here on this floor. I 

 am glad we have had this Convention here. I shall be glad 

 to have them in the future. 



But, gentlemen, it is in the hands of the State, as I under- 

 stand it. We have a Board of Agriculture that will look out 

 for all this, and, if they are wise, as I think they will be, they 

 will fall into line, in this age of conferences and conventions, 

 and insist that the convention idea shall find expression 

 amongst the farmers of Connecticut and gather them all in, 

 young as well as old. (Applause.) 



Mr. Hubbard. If I may occupy the attention of this audi- 

 ence for a moment or two, I will try to relieve my mind of a 

 little burden that is upon it. I have no new action to propose, 

 but I would like to emphasize that part of Mr. Augur's omni- 

 bus resolution, which thanks the manufacturing company 

 which invited us down there this forenoon. It was kind on 

 their part to take the trouble to invite us. But what I wanted 



