22 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



And when the manufacturer comes to meet demands that 

 the agriculturist creates, and puts new and desirable life into 

 the town, we must not forget, in the rapid growth and tlmft 

 and quickened life he produces, that the agriculturist first 

 planted the settlement. 



Fortunately for Waltham, all classes of its citizens are 

 interested in agriculture. There have been no walls of sepa- 

 ration between its farmers and its mechanics, manufacturers, 

 and merchants. Some of the men who were leaders in estab- 

 lishing manufacturing here owned large farms, and were 

 practical agriculturists, and were influential in securing the 

 formation of the Farmers' Club. Many of our citizens whose 

 business calls them to Boston daily seek pleasure and relax- 

 ation from business upon their farms and among their stock. 

 Our Club gives evidence of the appreciation of our citizens 

 of all callings, of the farmer's business ; for it is composed 

 of mechanics, manufacturers, tradesmen, and members of the 

 different professions, as well as farmers. It has been in ex- 

 istence more than twenty years, and in a quiet way has 

 accomplished an amount of good that can hardly be esti- 

 mated. Besides giving to each member the results of the 

 observation, the experience, and the experiments of all the 

 other members, it has created and kept alive a true spirit in 

 the community, and contributed to a fine social life. 



Our manufacturing establishments are all situated near the 

 southern boundary of the town, upon the poorer portion of 

 the land ; while the rich soils of the eastern, northern, central, 

 and western portions of the town, are used for agriculture. 

 The needs of a large city like Boston, and of an increasing 

 population nearer home, determined the kind of farming to 

 be followed. The production and marketing of milk have 

 long been a prominent business of our farmers. Therefore 

 grass and milk are their principal productions. Large quan- 

 tities of fruit have been raised. And now garden-farming 

 has become a prominent business. 



Nature was lavish in giving charms to Waltham, for we 

 have mountain and plain and hill and river combined in one 

 beautiful landscape. Its natural beauty has long made Wal- 

 tham an attractive place of residence to men of fortune. 

 They purchased large tracts of land, brought it into a high 

 state of cultivation, procured the best stock, improved the 



