4 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



into the moist atmosphere of this morning, I had better stay 

 in bed, as I have been suffering for three days from a severe 

 headache ; and those of you who are familiar with that trouble 

 I have no doubt will heartily sympathize with me. I am 

 also suffering from a sore throat ; but my interest in agri- 

 culture, although indirect, is so great that I could not absent 

 myself from this meeting, when I knew that the members of 

 the Worcester North Agricultural Society, wdiom I esteem 

 very highly, depended upon me for a few remarks to wel- 

 come you here on this occasion. 



I reo-ret very much that the inclemency of the weather has 

 apparently deterred so many who are interested in agricult- 

 ural matters from attending this morning, because I am sure 

 that the interest which must be created by a meeting of this 

 kind is so great that all who are engaged in agricultural pur- 

 suits or who are interested in them must of necessity gain 

 much that will be of value to them. Still, I believe that 

 those who are here will make up in interest and I trust in 

 enthusiasm what they lack in numbers. • I remember that at 

 one time when I was serving in the army, my company and 

 another of our regiment had been left behind under the com- 

 mand of the major, to blockade a back road through which it 

 was expected that a part of the Confederate troops would 

 come up on our rear and harass our own troops. We were 

 detained for live or six hours, but eventually the major hur- 

 ried us forward, and after we had gone two or three miles 

 we heard the sound of incessant firing ahead. The major 

 ordered us to "quick step," and a little later he gave the 

 order to " double quick ; " and we hurried to the best of our 

 ability to catch up with our own troops, who were still far 

 ahead. It took us some two hours to reach the desired 

 point, and when we got there, after double-quicking it most 

 of the way for some eight or ten miles, our numbers were 

 quite small ; perhaps in the two companies not more than 

 twenty or twenty-live men were in the ranks. When we 

 were near our own regiment, which was at the front and 

 under fire at the time, the major looked down the short line 

 and said, " Well, boys, there are not many of you, but what 

 there are are good." So I trust it is with you here to-day ; 

 and I believe it to be so, that, although your numbers are 



