30 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



different courses of instruction ? If the parties did not leave 

 the home district, could they not by some course be better 

 suited to remain in these districts to their best financial good? 

 It seems to me that the study of entomology and botany and 

 such subjects will best promote the powers of observation. 



I assure you, on behalf of the State, that we are delighted 

 to come to AVestfield, and believe the meeting will be pro- 

 motive of great good. 



During the past year we have had in the Commonwealth 

 a meeting in Boston called the Farmers' National Congress ; 

 and I think the proceedings of that meeting, soon to be issued 

 and paid for by an appropriation made by the Legislature, 

 and printed in an easily readable form, will command yo\ir 

 approval as to usefulness, and I advise you to seek them. 



The Chair. An address of welcome by Mr. J. D. Cadle, 

 president of the Westfield Board of Trade. 



Mr. Cadle. It would seem utterly unnecessary for me, 

 after the cordial greeting you have received from the chair- 

 man of the selectmen, to welcome you. Yet it is a pleasant 

 duty, in behalf of our Board of Trade, to welcome you here. 

 The man with the hoe, with the plough, as is the case with 

 some of you ; but as I look into some of your faces you 

 savor more of the study, or the library, or the platform. I 

 rather think some of you may be situated as I am. I have 

 the honor of being a member of the most noted fox club in 

 New England ; I have the honor of being one of its chief 

 officers. I never saw a fox in my life except in a cage, and 

 I have never shot a gun since I came to years of discretion. 

 I think some of you agriculturists are of that type. 



But whether you are theoretical or practical farmers I 

 do not care, — I welcome you heartily to thia our beautiful 

 town. When it was created, God saw it and said it was 

 good. I regret that you cannot see our chief beauties. At 

 this season our town is not at its best. 



We welcome you with whole soul. Years ago we tilled 

 our soil and raised cattle that brought us into prominence 

 throughout the country. To-day I regret to say that, of the 

 eight million valuation of this county, less than one million 

 is in the farms. Our factories for manufacturing bicycles, 

 church organs and many other lines of manufacture have 



