256 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



Reports of delegates being in order, Mr. Ellsworth presented a 

 report upon the Essex Society ; Mr. Peck upon the Middlesex 

 North ; Mr. Bucklin upon the Worcester South-east ; Mr. Good- 

 man upon the Bristol ; Mr. Knowlton upon the Hampshire, 

 Franklin and Hampden ; Mr. Brown upon the Hampden East ; 

 Mr. Ladd upon the Berkshire ; Mr. Converse upon the Housa- 

 tonic ; Mr. Baker upon the Union ; Mr. Stockbridge upon the 

 Franklin ; Mr. Slade upon the Hoosac Valley ; Mr. Fay upon 

 the Norfolk ; Mr. Birnie upon the Plymouth ; Mr. Boise upon 

 the Marshfield and Mr. Phinney upon the Nantucket. 



Mr. Hubbard was appointed a committee on the credentials 

 of new members. 



Mr. Ellsworth then submitted the following essay upon the 



MANAGEMENT OF THE DAIRY. 



Of the different branches of farming, the dairy unquestion- 

 ably ranks first. The same might have been said of it fifty 

 years ago. We can hardly understand as we look over the 

 State and observe the many deserted farms, and barren acres, 

 how this interest, to-day, holds a place second to none in the 

 long list of agricultural pursuits. In the time of our fathers, 

 our farms were rich in natural fertility, and supported large 

 herds without resorting to artificial helps, and yet, although 

 our lands have depreciated in agricultural value, dairy farming 

 has not only held its place as first, but has actually increased in 

 extent and importance nearly twofold since those days. Such 

 is the fact, however, astonishing as it may seem, and of the 

 many reasons to which to ascribe the remarkable growth, there 

 are at least three prominent ones. 



1st. The improvement in dairy stock and the management of 

 the same. This is a more important reason than we can real- 

 ize. It has affected the whole dairying interest by giving us 

 better machines, so to speak, with which to work, and by throw- 

 ing around this pursuit a sort of fascination, which has led the 

 dairyman to take a deeper interest in his calling. Instead now 

 of the large herds of scrubby native stock without pedigree, 

 and whose physical qualities could never be predetermined, we 

 have our grades and pure-bred cattle with a well-defined ped- 

 igree, showing their descent from animals whose characteristics 

 were marked and well developed. What would the dairyman 



