THE PAST REPEATED. 151 



that appears to be good for anything, I can know whether it 1ms 

 ever mildewed or been winter-killed. 



A gentleman inquired of Mr. Bull whether he had raised any 

 seedlings from his Concord grapes, and how many proved 

 abortive. 



Mr. Bull. Not less than nine-tenths. One-tenth would pro- 

 duce fruit, and one in a hundred would be good-^-worth saving. 

 I have kept a record of everything I have done in this matter, 

 in order that my experiments, successes and failures should not 

 be lost to other experimenters. 



Adjourned to Thursday at 9 o'clock. 



Thursday, December 13th. 



The Board met at the hour of adjournment, John B. Moore, 

 of Concord, was chosen President, pro tern. 



On motion of Mr. Bull, it was voted, that when the Board 

 adjourns this evening, after the lecture by Dr. Nichols, it adjourn 

 without day. 



Henry K. Oliver, of Lawrence. As the discussion proceeded 

 yesterday in regard to the rearing of horses and herds, it 

 appeared to me that I had heard or read something near akin to 

 the general strain of remarks, and I cudgelled my memory to 

 see where it could be I had met with it. On going home last 

 night, I went to my library and took down an old book, and on 

 turning over two or three pages, I found the germ, the small 

 germ, perhaps as small as the turtle's eggs that Professor 

 Agassiz referred to yesterday, of what was said here on the 

 subjects to which I have alluded. The world is said to be 

 repeating itself all the time, and it occurred to me that there 

 had been just that unconscious repetition here, and I thought 

 it might amuse the audience if I should read a few lines, which 

 express just what was brought out yesterday. This is a very 

 old writer. He has been dead a great many years. He lived 

 in the times of the best literature of Rome, about the time of 

 the Emperor Augustus, not far from the date of the birth of 

 Christ. He left four treatises on agriculture. I see by the 

 smiles of some gentlemen that they have guessed to whom I 

 refer. They say, " We guess he has pulled down the writings 

 of old Virgil." You are right : and it is singular how the 



