Report of the Secretary. 



Abstracts of the proceedino-s of these meetings will be 

 found in their proper place. 



The material interests of the State of Vermont are largely 

 represented by those industries which the Board of Agri- 

 culture, Manufactures and Mining was created to assist. 

 The majority of the older States of the Union years ago 

 established, and have since sustained organizations similar in 

 character or object to the existing Board in Vermont. The 

 younger States, seeing the advantages of such organizatiolis, 

 have patterned after the older, and so have fostered the 

 leading interests of their respective States. So long have 

 those been tried and so valuable have they proved, that 

 they have passed into the permanent institutions of the dif- 

 ferent States. 



In the judgment of those who have given careful atten- 

 tion to the subject, the act of the Legislature calling the 

 Board in Vermont into existence has proved a wise one. 

 By the work of the Board the great pursuits of the people 

 of the State have been encouraged. 



The best method of arousing attention, securing co-ope- 

 ration, and conveying information was not quite clear at the 

 first, but the experiment of holding meetings throughout 

 the State for the discussion of practical topics has demon- 

 strated this to be one great means of accomplishing the pur- 

 poses had in view. 



From the nature of the case the subjects discussed have 

 been chiefly those allied to agriculture. The plan, though 

 not accomplishing all tliat is contemplated, can now no 



