350 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



this State, which would not have been so treated but for the 

 stimuhis given by that report, and the cultivators are now 

 receiving the most liberal rewards for their labor. 



I mention this only as an example of the plan, which, after 

 very mature consideration, and with a full knowledge of the 

 whole field of labor, it was thought best at first to adopt, and 

 of the good effects which have followed from it. 



In a similar manner I took up the subject of grasses 

 and forage-plants, in my fourth report, giving all the inform- 

 ation that was available at that time, with very numerous 

 illustrations of different-species, devoting about two hundred 

 and thirty pages to this special topic. That report awakened 

 a new interest in that special line of investigation, and it has 

 borne fruit since in increased attention to this subject. 



The Board of Agriculture also labored to svstematize the 

 returns of the county societies, and so far succeeded as to be 

 able to show at a glance the financial condition of each, to 

 what objects its encouragement was extended, how much 

 was paid for any specific object throughout the State, how 

 generally the bounty was distributed, and how much was 

 paid in each town in the society's limits ; or, in other words, 

 how fjir the influence of each society extended, and whether it 

 had become localized, thus failing to meet the objects the 

 legislature had in view, or was doing its work well and 

 profitably. 



Thus the Board obtains the most minute details in rejrard 

 to the distribution of the bounty of the Commonwealth, a 

 a thing which was never done, nor even attempted, to such 

 an extent before the adoption of the present system. When 

 it is recollected that this bounty now exceeds the sum of 

 seventeen thousand dollars every year, no one can fail to see 

 the importance of what has already been done in this respect, 

 and the great good which may be anticipated from the per- 

 fection of the system. All these details appear in the 

 annual reports already alluded to, and are within reach of 

 every farmer in the State. 



Another and a very important part of the labors of the 

 ofBce, is the judicious distribution of the agricultural publica- 

 tions of the State. This work has been performed with far 

 greater care than ever before. One who has had no experi- 



