232 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



course, am'thing about the prevalence of this disease in other 

 sections ; but I can say that, in my judgment, not one 

 creature in a hundred of those killed in Franklin County has 

 been anything but perfectly healthy. 



The CnAmMAX. Xo doubt this is a wide and interesting 

 field for dicussion, and inquiries would doubtless draw out 

 remarks which would be of great interest, but we are under 

 the necessity of proceeding. "We have another lecture this 

 afternoon and it is full time. I have the pleasure of intro- 

 ducing to you Dr. George A. Bowen, of Woodstock, Ct. 



THE BUSINESS SIDE OF FARMING AND THE VALUE OF 

 ORGAyiZATIO^^ 



BY DR. GEO. AUSTIN' BOWEX, WOODSTOCK, CT. 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, — I am very glad 

 to meet with the people of Massachusetts on this occasion. 

 I was very glad when your Secretary invited me to speak 

 on this subject, — "The Business Side of Farming." I 

 only regretted that he had not asked some one with more 

 eloquence than I possess to present the subject to you ; but 

 when I reflected that Shakespeare, in the play of King 

 Richard III, puts in the mouth of Elizabeth the words, " An 

 honest tale speaks best being plainly told," I thought I 

 might venture to come here, because this is "an honest 

 tale" I bring you, and I trust that, " being plainly told," it 

 will speak well. [Applau.se.] 



The primitive agriculture of Xew England, rude and un- 

 scientific as it was, filled well its mission, and was fully on a 

 level with the other great industries of the world, and in 

 accord with the advanced thought of those times. The Old 

 "World, or that section which we so denominate, was tram- 

 meled with the traditions and bigotry of the past, which by 

 their very nature utterly checked all civilizing influences, or 

 greatly retarded their growth. The settlement of Xew Eng- 

 land was the outgrowth of the most progressive idea of the 

 century, and brought to these shores progressive men and 

 women, who little dreamed that they were founding a 

 minhty nation, the equal whereof history had no knowl- 



