STRUCTUEE OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 291 



same by competitive examination, and so far as practicable, 

 from those who intend to become tlirmers or gardeners. 



Voted, To refer all unfinished business to the Committee 

 on Printing, with full power. 



Adjourned. 



THE STRUCTURE AND GROWTH OF DOMESTICATED 



ANIMALS. 



Lecture by Professor Louis Agassiz.* 



Ladies and Gendemen: — The subject announced in the 

 programme for this evening's lecture is "The Structure and 

 Growth of Domesticated Animals." It would take a year's 

 course to do justice to the whole subject, and I had therefore 

 to choose a portion of it, and especially such a part as may 

 give you an idea of the difficulties of investigating some of 

 the topics which are, perhaps, of the greatest importance in 

 practical life. It is often expected that science will furnish 

 all the information wanted at a given moment, but unfortu- 

 nately science is not always ready. My object is to show that 

 you must have knowledge before you can apply it, and that 

 knowledge is not always to be had for the asking. There is 

 not always that information on hand which may be needed 

 even for the most useful purposes ; and in order to allay the 

 impatience which is sometimes manifested in respect to the 

 want of usefulness on the part of scientific men and their 

 ability to enter into the arena of practical life, I wish to show 

 3^ou how difficult it is to handle some of the subjects, and I 

 have chosen one respecting which, of course, a farming com- 

 munity supposes that science can furnish all the information 

 wanted. 



• Concerning the anatomy of our domesticated animals there 

 is a great deal known ; enough to give a good idea of the 

 peculiarities of the full-grown animals of the difierent kinds 

 which we raise to use for various purposes. Concerning the 

 functions of their organs, there is also a great deal known, 



* Delivered before the State Board at Barre, December 3d. The necessary delay 

 in the preparation of illustrations prevented its insertion in the proceedings of the 

 Barre meeting, on a previous page. 



