No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. lx 



yours ago in instituting this Board of Agriculture, and is 

 wise in the encouragement of agriculture to-day ; and the 

 marked advance of agricultural prosperity in this last decade 

 is the most encouraging feature of the present outlook. 



In return for this encouragement and this financial help 

 the societies owe something to the State, and, for the good 

 of all, each individual society is bound to do its best work 

 in every line marked out by the Board of Agriculture 

 acting under the laws of the State. 



And, first, the duty is imminent and important that the 

 societies shall select for membership on this Board their 

 best representatives. The State expects this, and the 

 strength and character of the Board rests largely in the 

 hands of the societies. 



Second, the institute work rests in the office of the secre- 

 tary of the Board of Agriculture, and the rule of the Board 

 is as follows: "Each agricultural society receiving the 

 bounty of the Commonwealth shall hold within its limits 

 not less than three farmers' institutes each calendar year ; 

 and the Board shall render all the assistance in its power to 

 make these institutes interesting and profitable. The sec- 

 reta,ry of the Board shall provide lectures for farmers' in- 

 stitutes, so far as the appropriation for the object will allow 

 and a wise expenditure of the money warrant, but he shall 

 not be authorized to pay more than one lecturer for each 

 institute. The secretary of each society shall be required to 

 certify to the holding of each institute on blanks furnished 

 by the secretary of the Board." The speakers and subjects 

 are selected by the committee on institutes and public 

 meetings of the Board, with care and discretion, and this 

 list can be depended upon as presenting instructive speakers 

 and specialists on their various subjects. It is the first duty 

 of the agricultural societies to communicate with the secre- 

 tary of the Board, and all the arrangements with the speaker 

 should be made through his office ; next, to see that date, 

 subject and speaker are duly advertised and made known to 

 all the farmers within the territory covered by the society, 

 and that the meeting shall be held in an attractive and 

 comfortable hall. For a society to advertise "no attend- 

 ance expected," by giving notice of a meeting in an unsuit- 



