4 BOARD OF AGRICULTUEE. 



first time to southern Berkshire. The influence of these 

 gatherings can hardly be estimated, addressed as they have 

 been by the best-informed minds in the country, on subjects 

 of the greatest interest to the community, stimuhiting a 

 spirit of investigation, imparting information and malving 

 the knowledge and experience of each participant the 

 common possession of all. Valuable results must have been 

 attained. And, gentlemen of the Housatonic Agricultural 

 Society, if you do your part in discussing and elucidating 

 the subjects to be presented at this meeting, it will add 

 another page to the record of success that marks the history 

 of the State Board of Agriculture. 



To the gentlemen of the Board I think I will be justified 

 in a more extended description and history of this locality. 



You who live in eastern Massachusetts may have heard of 

 the Housatonic Valley. You are quite certain to have 

 heard of Berkshire County and of the Berkshire Hills, but 

 you have seldom met a citizen of southern Berkshire. 



By reason of the topographical features of this valley, 

 this section of the State belongs essentially to New York. 

 Our social and commercial, and, in fact, all our relations, 

 except political, dre more with New York than with Massa- 

 chusetts. If the avenues of travel were such as to make 

 Boston as accessible as New York, the feeling of State pride 

 would do much to change the course of business, and indi- 

 rectly increase our interest in Avhatever pertains to the 

 prosperity of the Commonwealth. 



In coming here, and returning to your homes, you will 

 have experienced the disadvantages under which we live in 

 this particular, and I expect, as one result of 3'our visit here, 

 that you will individually, as opportunity may ofier, favor 

 any reasonable scheme for giving us easier and more direct 

 communication with the rest of the State. I wish to say, 

 however, on this subject, that our railroad facilities are all 

 that can be asked from a single line. The Housatonic Rail- 

 road carries us over its line at frequent intervals, with 

 reasonable speed and with a great degree of safety and 

 comfort, and is eminently a good road as far as it goes, but 

 it doesn't go in the direction we would sometimes like to 

 travel. 



