8 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



a multitude of questions relating to the details of feeding 

 stock, the drainage of lands, the effect of special fertiliz- 

 ers upon the growth of crops, and many other points. These 

 experiments, very numerous, and attended with great labor 

 and expense, though not to be compared for value, perhaps, 

 with more recent investigations carried on with the advan- 

 tasre of modern and more accurate scientific methods and 

 appliances, were among the best and most valuable of that 

 day, and did much to lead to a greater spirit of investigation, 

 and to lay the foundation of the more recent steps of 

 progress. 



The law for the encouragement of town societies, or farmers' 

 clubs, originated in the Board, and many of the numerous 

 active town organizations resulted from it. Appropriations 

 were for a time made by the Legislature to enable the Board 

 to sustain agents and lecturers, to visit towns where such 

 organizations existed ; but owing partly to the want of suita- 

 ble meut and partly to the little interest at that time in the 

 discussion of scientific questions relating to agriculture, the 

 results were not commensurate with the expense involved, 

 and the plan was abandoned, after the experiment had been 

 fully tried, for the more effective and popular system of 

 public lectures and discussions, which have been found to 

 impress larger masses of men, and to have a far greater influ- 

 ence upon the agriculture of the Commonwealth. 



When the pleuro-pneumonia was first imported into this 

 State, in 1859, it was not recognized by the veterinary surgeon 

 called in to treat the disease, and its existence and the danger 

 to be apprehended from it were little noticed. As soon as the 

 attention of the Board was called to it, active measures were 

 taken to interest the Legislature so far as to secure an appro- 

 priation adequate to its extirpation. A small appropriation 

 was asked for, which, if it had been promptly granted, would 

 have accomplished the object, and thus have saved many 

 thousands of dollars .to the State treasury, and great loss 

 and suffering to numerous individual owners of stock. 



Strange to say, owing to the ignorance that prevailed at 

 that time in regard to the nature and the terrible danger of 

 the disease, the application met with determined and persist- 

 ent opposition ; so that, when the appropriation was finally 

 made, it proved to be wholly inadequate to meet the case. 



