No. 4.] AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 273 



THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



BY QUINCY L. REED OF SOUTH WEYMOUTH. 



In the early part of the nineteenth century, less than fifty 

 years after the close of the revolutionary war, agricultural 

 societies were first organized in many of the counties of 

 Massachusetts. Among them Avere the Massachusetts So- 

 ciety for Promoting Agriculture, in 1792; the Berkshire 

 Society, in 1811; the Hampshire, in 1814; the Essex, in 

 1818 ; the Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden, in 1818 ; 

 the Plymouth County, in 1819 ; and the Bristol County, 

 in 1823. The bounty now received from the State was 

 granted to tli£se societies in 1818. 



These societies were purely agxicultural, and under care- 

 ful and economical management were enabled to acquire 

 and accumulate a fund, — some of them quite a large fund. 

 They were also more of a social character, and the citizens 

 of the dififerent towns throughout each county usually de- 

 voted one day at least to attend these fairs, to meet and greet 

 their friends, relatives and acquaintances. These conditions 

 continued for a period of twenty-five to forty years, or until 

 about 1850. During that period there were only a very 

 few new societies organized. After 1850, for a period of 

 more than a quarter of a century, agricultural societies 

 increased rapidly throughout the State, conditions changed 

 decidedly, grounds were purchased by many of the socie- 

 ties, tracks were laid out, trotting races added, also difi"erent 

 kinds of amusements or attractions. 



It was during this period, 1864, that my own society, 

 the "Weymouth, was organized, which continued for a quar- 

 ter of a century outside of the State Board. The Brockton 

 Society, still outside of this Board, was organized in 1872, 



