290 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



While the agricultural societies were doing much good by 

 the offering of premiums, thus stimulating competition and 

 exciting a greater interest in agricultural productions, prac- 

 tical agriculture advanced slowly. The several societies 

 Avere operating without any concert of action or uniform 

 system. Hence good results, obtained in one locality, were 

 of little or no benefit beyond that section of country. With 

 no central authority or power to collect, preserve and dis- 

 seminate facts, they were often lost. The different modes 

 adopted in the societies to detain the same object^ failed to 

 commend the societies favorably to the public. Their mem- 

 bers were said to belong to " rings," who gave premiums 

 according to favoritism, instead of merits of animals. 



A few leading men who were in advance of the time, 

 sought to make these societies more useful towards promot- 

 ing the agricultural interests, by putting them on a basis 

 where their acts would be more systematic and uniform ; by 

 the establishment of a central Board of Agriculture, which 

 should sustain similar relations to the agricultural societies, 

 that the Board of Education did towards the common 

 schools. Hence a call emanating from the trustees of the 

 Norfolk Agricultural Society, Jan. 28, 1851, for a conven- 

 tion, composed of one delegate from each society, to meet 

 at the State House in Boston, March 20, 1851, to concert 

 measures for their mutual advantage and the promotion of 

 agricultural education. This convention assembled at the 

 time and place named, and, after thoroughly discussing the 

 matters pertaining to the object of the meeting, an agricult- 

 ural board was organized, composed of three delegates from 

 each society. The discussions in this convention indexed 

 the sentiments of the people towards agricultural education. 

 While considering the following resolution, to wit, " That, 

 inasmuch as agriculture is the chief occupation of her 

 citizens, the Commonwealth, in the organization of its 

 government, should be provided with a department of 

 aofriculture, with offices and honors ccrmmensurate with the 

 importance of the duties to be discharged, of the abilities 

 to be required and the labors to be performed," one of the 

 delegates said : " This resolution squints towards a college. 

 If it has that tendency, I shall be opposed to it ; for I do riot 



