178 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



women to idle and frivolous pursuits, could thus be employed 

 in adding new comfort and beauty to life, " so that the wilder- 

 ness and solitary place should be glad for them, and the desert 

 should rejoice and blossom as the rose" ? 



* 



Maj\ Phinney. I move that the thanks of the meeting be 

 tendered Mrs. Cheney for the beautiful and highly instructive 

 lecture to which we have listened. 



The Chairman. It has often been thrown in the teeth of our 

 lady friends that the first woman sinned herself and the race 

 out of the Garden of Eden ; but her representatives, like Lady 

 Macbeth, who, after inciting her husband to the murder of the 

 king, repented, and sought to keep him from the commission of 

 further crimes, have ever since been trying to get us back ; and 

 they have now inaugurated a system by which they hope to lead 

 us back to that garden, and assist to cultivate it. Mrs. Cheney 

 is connected with the first institution for that purpose ever estab- 

 lished, and I hope that the State Board of Agriculture and all 

 farmers will help on this good work, whose results will be the 

 advancement, not only of woman, but of men, — husbands, 

 fathers, brothers and sons. I take great pleasure, therefore, in 

 putting the resolution. 



The resolution was adopted unanimously. 



Rev. E. Porter Dyer, of Shrewsbury, then read an amusing 

 poem, which was frequently interrupted by laughter and 

 applause. 



The Board then adjourned to Thursday morning, at half-past 

 nine o'clock. 



THIRD DAY. 



Thursday, December 23. 



The session opened at half-past nine o'clock, and Maj. Phinney, 

 of Barnstable, was called to the chair. 



The Chairman stated that the first subject for discussion was 



CATTLE HUSBANDRY, 



which was opened by a paper by the Secretary of the Board, on 

 " The Principles of Breeding," of which the following is an 

 abstract : — 



