120 THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 



that date say, " With us we have no such establishment. 

 The Massachusetts society has nothing which gives it 

 either authority or pre-eminence over any county society. 

 Nor do we wish that any such power should be delegated. 

 We cannot conceive any advantage which could be 

 derived from any general society. If local, with general 

 powers, it would be the object of jealousy. If composed 

 of gentlemen from all parts of the State, its meetings 

 would be few, formal, expensive and productive of no 

 substantial good. All that agricultural societies ought to 

 wish is a charter to enable them to manage their funds, 

 and occasional aid from the Legislature, to enable them to 

 give that spring to agricultural experiments which is the 

 soul of all exertion." 



During the same year the trustees voted to have the 

 following entered upon the records : 



Voted, as the opinion of the board of trustees, that the 

 introduction of trials of speed between horses, and 

 awarding premiums therefor, is a perversion of the objects 

 originally contemplated in the establishment of agricultu- 

 ral shows ; that the effect has been to withdraw attention 

 from the exhibition of stock and other farm products, and 

 to discourage their being brought to the shows for com- 

 petition. 



Voted, that this board will entertain no application for 

 aid or countenance, in any form, to any agricultural show 

 where trials of speed between horses are allowed, or where 

 the greatest speed is made the test of superiority in 

 awarding any premium on horses. 



The society has ever since continued the policy as 

 stated in the foregoing vote. 



In March, 1860, the trustees appointed a committee, 

 consisting of George B. Loring, Richard S. Fay and Peter 

 C. Brooks, Jr., to appear before any committee appointed 

 by the Legislature to consider the prevalent contagious, 

 fatal disease among neat cattle, known as pleuro pneu- 

 monia, and to advocate efficient preventive legislation. 

 The board also voted to appropriate $2,000 as a guaranty 

 fund to aid in extirpating the disease. On Sept. 12, 1861, 

 the trustees adopted the following : 



