8 THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 



sentatives, in General Court assembled, this second 

 day of March, 1792: 



The undersigned beg leave to represent that agricul- 

 ture has in all civilized nations been ranked among the 

 first objects of their attention; that different climates 

 produce different soils and different kinds of manure, 

 which has made a different cultivation important. 

 Hence it is that the beneficial effects of the best writers 

 on the subject of agriculture have been exceedingly 

 limited. In consequence hereof it has been found 

 necessary, not only among the nations of Europe, but 

 among the United States and the British colonies in 

 America, to establish under the sanction of law, agri- 

 cultural societies, whose particular business is to make 

 experiments themselves and invite others thereto on 

 the subject of agriculture; and means have been found 

 by which monies have been placed in their hands, 

 which has put it in their power to give handsome 

 premiums to the men of enterprise who have by their 

 inquiries made useful discoveries and communicated 

 them to the public. 



The undersigned beg leave farther most respectfully 

 to represent that from the fullest conviction of the 

 utility of such an institution in this Commonwealth 

 they are willing to undertake the burden of being 

 members thereof, if the General Court shall think 

 proper to vest in them and their associates corporate 

 powers, competent to embrace all the purposes which 

 may be derived from such an institution. And as in 

 duty bound shall pray: 



B. Lincoln 



S. Holten J. Lov/ell 



Moses Gill M. Brimmer 



A7:or Orne Benj. Guild 



Kdw" Cutts Aaron Dexter 



Thomas Russell Cotton Tufts 



Thomas Durfee Sam'l Adams 



