26 THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 



returned a satisfactory account of the plant, which was 

 read at the October meeting. In August, 1795, a premium 

 of 150 for the best essay " on the natural history of the 

 worm that has lately infested cherry, pear, quince and plum 

 trees, called the snail or slug worm, r was offered. The 

 ultimate date for competition was to be Sept. 30, 1797. 

 The award was made in the usual manner and it was found 

 that Mr. Peck was again the successful essayist. It was 

 voted to print the essay and accompanying illustrations, 

 and he was requested to superintend the engraving. These 

 experiences probably had the effect of drawing particular 

 attention to him and it appears, though not on the society's 

 records, that he removed to Cambridge, where, in 1805 he 

 became professor in natural history in Harvard College of 

 which he was a graduate in 1782. He held the professor- 

 ship till his decease in 1822. At an early date he became 

 a member of this society. 



In April, 1796, a gold medal was awarded in the usual 

 manner to Rev. Jonathan Newell of Stow, for a method of 

 draining ponds. The town of Stow has a permanent re- 

 minder of him in the flow of the stream from a pond in or 

 near the centre of the village. Once the flow was in the 

 opposite direction, and was called " Strong-water brook ". 

 The brook has now only a legendary existence. It is no- 

 ticeable that at this early stage clergymen were very suc- 

 cessful in gaining premiums. This, it may be concluded, 

 was owing partly to the circumstance that other experi- 

 menters and investigators did not, in very considerable 

 numbers, feel well competent to express their experiences 

 and results on paper, and partly to the fact that rural 

 -clergymen of that day had to economize on their meagre 

 salaries, and personally engage in farming operations, and 

 so were well qualified to speak from experience. At a 

 semi-annual meeting in 1798, the society voted to request 

 Rev. William Welles of Brattleboro, Vt., to communicate 

 an essay on the cultivation of barley. He did so and added 

 thereto full directions for the making of small beer and 



