ORIGIN OF THE BOARD. 261 



fact, and also that only one member of the original Board, 

 and Secretary Flint, are present with us on this occasion, 

 and that he who now addresses you will soon be numbered 

 among those who will have passed beyond the river, to work 

 with you no more, I have thought it proper to submit a few 

 thoughts in regard to the history and progress of the Board, 

 although at the risk of repeating some things I may have 

 stated before. The results of our labors are so fully set 

 forth in the beginning of the secretary's report, and in former 

 reports, as scarcely to need an additional remark, except by 

 way of confirmation. And what I shall say, I beg may not 

 be considered as valedictory for myself or for the Board : 

 God only knows when the time shall arrive for the utterance 

 of these. As for the Board, we believe it will speak for 

 itself for many years to come. 



Anterior to its establishment, very little united action had 

 taken place between the agricultural societies of our own or 

 other States of the Union for the purpose of creating State 

 Boards of Agriculture. But the example of Massachusetts 

 and a few other States produced a change in public sentiment, 

 which has resulted in great improvement. True, there were 

 agricultural societies in many of our States, some of which 

 still live in a green old age, and are activel}'- at work with us ; 

 but there were no State Boards of Agriculture, with represen- 

 tatives, constituting, as they now do, departments for great 

 agricultural influence and importance. It is also true that 

 there were many illustrious examples of men, who, as pio- 

 neers, were endeavoring to establish the importance of sci- 

 ence as especially applicable to agriculture ; but it was not 

 until the appointment of Henry Colman of Massachusetts as 

 a State Commissioner in 1836, that such improvement took 

 definite shape ; and, notwithstanding his reports were sus- 

 pended in 1840, they are now regarded as treasures of great 

 practical knowledge, especially those in regard to the charac- 

 ter of our soils, the reclamation of waste lands, and the adapta- 

 tion of crops. These awakened a more thorough examination 

 into the subject ; and the seed then sown finally germinated, 

 and produced the Central Board of Agriculture. This Avas 

 organized March 20, 1851, Marshall P. Wilder as president, 

 Henry W. Cushman and John W. Lincoln as vice-presidents, 

 Allen W. Dodge corresponding, and Edgar K. Whitaker 



