84 THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 



of 1830 to have been, that u the district, over which the 

 society extends, being so large, it would not be practica- 

 ble for the trustees personally to inspect the farms of the 

 applicants. In this respect the county, or local societies, 

 have a great advantage over ours." When the practice 

 was entered upon, in 1830, the sworn statements of appli- 

 cants were taken as the basis for decision. Still later the 

 trustees employed an agent to visit farms thus in compe- 

 tition. 



The orator of the year 1820 was Josiah Quincy. He, 

 like Col. Pickering, was familiar with both the practice 

 and theory of farming. An adequate apprehension of 

 theory and practice was the habit of his mind, not better 

 illustrated in conducting a farm than administering the 

 affairs of a city or a university. In preparing his address 

 he had both a practical and a literary end to serve. As 

 to the former he withheld nothing requisite to a proper in- 

 struction of his farmer audience ; was blunt and plain 

 almost to the point of audacity in the homiletic part ^>f 

 that instruction, and, withal, dealt as aptly as seems pos- 

 sible in regard to the sensibilities of the ladies. He began 

 as follows : 



The board of trustees of the Massachusetts Society for 

 Promoting Agriculture, have requested that I should ad- 

 dress you this day on topics connected with the objects 

 of their institution, and with the occasion. In acceding 

 to their appointment I have yielded to considerations of 

 official duty. For the manner in which the task shall be 

 executed, I need not apologize to practical and intelligent 

 men, such as I have now the honor to address. They know 

 well how difficult it is to cast over a trite subject the air 

 of novelty, or to make one that is familiar, interesting. 

 There is also something in the every day labors of agri- 

 culture apparently too rough for a polished discourse, too 

 common for one that is elevated, and too inseparable from 

 soil and its composts to be treated, to the general [ear, 

 without danger of offence to that fastidiousness of fancy", 

 which is miscalled refinement. 



Amid the perils which thus surround every public 



