SECRETARY'S REPORT. 121 



arranged for the new year. They would'recominend also tliat an 

 annnal niectuig for discussion and lectures, wiiich lca(Jin<r 

 agriculturists in the county shall be invited to attend, be held 

 at such places iu the Commonwealth as the Board may 

 designate ou the second Tuesday of December, and that a 

 standing committee be appointed to make arrangements, by 

 providing lecturers, <tc., for such meeting. 



With regard to the management of the societies, many 

 difficulties lie in the way of any satisfactory changes. No 

 doubt there is room for reform ; but the system under which 

 they operate has been so Ipng in existence, and is based so 

 entirely on the riglit of each society to regulate its own affairs 

 in the main, that great trouble must necessarily attend any 

 re-organization, or any attempt to make the societies uniform in 

 their operations. The issue of rules and regulations which 

 shall enable the societies to obtain systematic injprmation with 

 regard to cultivation, crops, cattle, <fec., and to impart it to the 

 Board and to the community is evidently a part of the duty of 

 the Board. Any protection of their rights and interests which 

 the societies may req\iire should be furnished them. They 

 should receive encouragement, and advice and suggestions with 

 regard to offers of premiums. But it is evident that they must 

 be left to manage their own finances, to organize their own 

 government, to conduct their own exhibitions according to tlieir 

 own necessities and opportunities. Tlie success of these societies 

 depends very much upon the public spirit of the farmers which 

 compose them, and public spirit is a virtue not to be created by 

 regulations or enactments. Prosperity, peace, and liberality, 

 coml)ined with ordinary wisdom, are tiie foundation of an 

 intelligent agricultural community, and of successful agri- 

 cultural societies. Wlien the State Board of Agriculture can 

 distribute all these in large measure over the Commonwealth, 

 its work will be more than half accomplished. 



Gkorge B. Loring, 

 P. Stedman, \ 



CommiUee. 



This report was accepted and adopted, when it was 



Voted, That a finance committee of tliree be appointed, under wlio^^e 

 supervision the appropriations shall be expended, and who sliall recom- 

 16 



