82 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



from the fruit gardens of Norfolk, and from the dairies of 

 Berkehire, there is constantly gathered a liberal return. And 

 I am confident that the condition of the agriculture of Massa- 

 chusetts is highly encouraging to those who believe in large 

 home markets, and in the careful and intelligent cultivation of 

 the soil which is requisite to supply their demands. 



Nor is this all. The prosperity of Massachusetts, as well as 

 her enterprise and industry, the result of various industries 

 acting upon each other, deserves more than a mere passing 

 notice from a society like ours, whose business it is to encourage 

 the practical energy of New England. For, to us at least, 

 these States are one, and the radiance of any star in the con- 

 stellation indicates the quality and opportunity of all. 



I need not remind you what she did in the war, and how 

 well she did it. From the choicest of her sons she offered up 

 her sacrifice, and of a male population of 257,833 between the 

 ages of fifteen and forty at the outbreak of the war, the total 

 number who served in the army was 153,486. Her expendi- 

 ture of money for the defence of the Union out of her State 

 treasury and from her towns and cities was more than $50,000,- 

 000. And she can properly boast that through the means of 

 her public and private munificence, her soldiers were well 

 equipped for the battle-field and were provided with every 

 possible comfort and consolation under the suffering and sick- 

 ness of the hospital and the camp. Nor has her liberality in 

 this direction ceased with the war. 



In his last annual address Governor Claflin says : " Within 

 the last eight years more than twelve millions of dollars have 

 been paid for the relief of disabled soldiers and their families, 

 and the families of the slain. In addition to this, more than 

 sixteen millions (16,000,000) of dollars have been paid in 

 bounties to soldiers since 1861. Surely no one will complain 

 of the burden of the debt when so large a part of it has been 

 contracted for the relief of those patriotic men and their 

 suffering families." And over half a million of dollars has 

 been collected through the office of the surgeon-general and 

 paid over to the soldiers and the widows and orphans of those 

 who fell in the war — a charitable provision for their benefit 

 equalled only by the National Asylums under the charge of one 

 of your most distinguished fellow-citizens. 



