42 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



at that time annually circulated was represented in that pyra- 

 mid. I do not remember anything that I saw there that 

 pleased me as much as Webster's spelling book. In it were 

 simple stories coming right from the farm. Where can 

 you get so much practical knowledge as you found there ? 

 These stories would attract the boys to study and to read. 

 When I see the papers ridiculing the idea that the reading- 

 books of to-day for children have so much to say about the 

 cat and the dog and the pig, I think those who hold that 

 idea up to ridicule do not know the first elements of human 

 nature. These animals are the most attractive objects to 

 childhood. Let us encourage as much as possible this kind 

 of instruction in the schools and for family reading. What a 

 store of knowledge and wisdom there is in iEsop's " Fables " 

 for the country boy or girl or any other boy or girl. 



There was one remark made in regard to the duties of 

 the boards of agriculture that reminded me of an expression 

 used by the Rev. Dr. Bushnell of Hartford some forty years 

 ago. He originated the idea of that beautiful park in the 

 centre of the city of Hartford, — that is the kind of a man 

 he was. While he was preaching the gospel, he had an eye 

 to material prosperity. He said: "The question now 

 comes before us, whether, instead of sitting here and con- 

 sidering the wants of the people, we had not better form 

 ourselves into a board of agriculture, and see what can be 

 done for these towns that are becoming somewhat deserted 

 of their population." It was some forty years ago that he 

 gave expression to these ideas. Our boards of agriculture 

 want to draw in just as much as possible just that sort of 

 men, whether they are on the farm or in the pulpit or at 

 the bar. 



Hon. Jas. S. Grinnell (of Greenfield) . Do any of the 

 members of this Board of Agriculture know that a book was 

 prepared on the elements of agriculture, read, corrected, 

 endorsed and published with the sanction of the Board of 

 Agriculture? It was used, I do not know for how long. 

 We went over it three or four times and corrected it, and it 

 was one of the standard books for agricultural education. 

 It consisted of questions anc^ answers of a simple, intelli- 



