1882.] farmers' convention. 35 



FARMERS CONVENTION AT NEWTOWN. 



The winter meeting of the Board for the year 1881 was 

 held at Newtown, on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of December, 

 in Sanford Hall, and was fully attended by farmers and others 

 interested in agriculture, not only in Newtown and its immedi- 

 ate vicinity, but from other sections of the State. 



The opening meeting was called to order at lOJ o'clock on 

 Wednesday, Dec. 14th, by Vice-President Hyde, who called 

 upon the Secretary to explain the business of the convention. 



Mr. Gold. We come before you with an invitation headed, 

 " The New Departure in Agriculture." We hear of " new 

 departures " in many directions, and we have thought that a 

 " new departure " was necessary, that reform Avas needed, 

 that there was actual progress, and that means were at work 

 now which were developing agriculture in accordance with the 

 demands of the time ; and you have embodied here in this 

 programme, to some degree, those ideas. 



We shall present first to you Dr. Stdrtevant, well known 

 to most of the farmers of Connecticut, who will treat upon 

 " Agricultural Experiment — what we want to know and why 

 we want to know it." Agricultural experiment runs back to 

 the first history of the human race, and still we find there is 

 yet much to learn, much that we desire to know, and we 

 anticipate that we shall have this matter somewhat cleared 

 up by Dr. Sturtevant. 



" Commercial Fertilizers — Source of Supply and History 

 of the Trade," by Dr. Edw. H. Jenkins, of the Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station at New Haven, who is abundantly qualified 

 to speak upon this subject. He will give us a history of the 

 traffic, and tell us of the sources of supply. The enormous 

 extent to which the trade in commercial fertilizers has grown 

 within a few years, not only in our own State, but especially 

 in some other States of tlie Union, is such as to demand on 

 this subject the careful study of our farmers. 



A paper on " Ensilage " will be presented by Mr. W. R. 

 Hurd, a man who has had practical experience, having built 



