38 THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 



of specimens gathered from the nearest towns of Essex, 

 Middlesex and Norfolk, and an awarding of premiums 

 in the name of Massachusetts agriculture, might have 

 been deemed not only invidious as respects other 

 counties, but inadequate and unjust as respects the 

 proper renown of the whole State in the particular of 

 the agricultural art. 



Due appreciation of the society's efforts during the 

 period alluded to depends upon having in mind the 

 existing difficulties of communication, as well as of 

 travelling. The rates for letter postage then would 

 now be deemed extortionate. No newspapers were 

 published oftener than once a week, excepting perhaps 

 one or two semi-weeklies, and the first daily paper did 

 not appear till 1813. The circulation of these was 

 small and no adequate space for diffusion of agricul- 

 tural information could have been had in any of them. 

 The society was restricted in this part of its work to 

 pamphlet issues. In 1801, its publications were dis- 

 tributed in some of the remote sections through the 

 Worcester, Middlesex and Kennebec agricultural 

 societies. In 1812 a special effort was made "to 

 awaken a livelier interest in the important subject of 

 agriculture," and 1,000 copies of a letter addressed to 

 farmers were printed. One copy was sent to each town 

 clerk in the State with a request that he would read it 

 in town meeting. All the clergymen of the "inland 

 towns" of the state were made honorary members of 

 the society and letters were addressed to all "request- 

 ing the exertion of their influence in aid of the 

 measures of the board." These efforts were appar- 

 ently of good effect, for in the next year it was noted 

 with congratulation in one of the issues of the society, 

 that "numerous town societies" had been formed for 

 promoting agriculture, and in another connection the 



