298 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 



[Read and accepted at the Annual Meeting, Jan. 7, 1902.] 



At the public winter meeting of the Board at Northamp- 

 ton your committee considered the reports of the several 

 societies and found them satisfactory, and showing a good 

 condition in most cases, with occasional exceptions where 

 unfavorable weather had interfered with successful fairs, 

 resulting in financial loss. 



The one society that requires special consideration in this 

 report is that of Bristol County, which held its fair at a 

 date different from that assigned by the Board, and greatly 

 to the interference with the success of the neighboring 

 society of \Ye3m10uth, and losing its claim on the bounty 

 of the State. The result to itself, in spite of a large at- 

 tendance of people, was a net loss of $2,000 to its treasury, 

 and shows plainly the great risk which societies incur by 

 providing expensive attractions. 



The Board of Agriculture, in refusing- to grant the change 

 of date for holding the fair which the Bristol County Society 

 asked last vear, adhered to its established custom of refusing 

 such change to the manifest disadvantage of a neighboring 

 society. Your committee has no recommendation to make, 

 unless the two societies interested can agree upon dates 

 mutually satisfactory. We sincerely hope that they will so 

 agree, and that the unfortunate experience of this year may 

 not be repeated. 



Respectfully submitted, 



W. A. KILBOURN. 

 GEO. P. CARPENTER. 

 Q. L. REED. 

 CHARLES A. GLEASON. 



