No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRKTARY. xiii 



C. S. Phelps of Chapinvillc, Conn. ; and Dr. J. L. Hills of 

 Burlino-ton, Vt. — to give us a week's time each during the 

 months of January, February and ]March of this year, and 

 Ave hope to arrange a good circuit of meetings for each of 

 them. All these speakers are in the first rank as institute 

 workers, and Avill have something to offer of more than 

 average value to our farmers. They will not be engaged for 

 single meetings at other times during the institute season. 



The institutes of the year have been more than commonly 

 successful, both in attendance and interest. No lecture has 

 been delivered by any speaker receiving compensation from 

 the treasury of the Conmionwealth that has not been agri- 

 cultural in its nature. One hundred and fourteen meet- 

 ings have been held during the year, under the direction 

 and control of this Board. All the societies represented on 

 the Board held 3 or more institutes, except the Hingham 

 Agricultural and Horticultural Society, which held but 2, 

 and the Massachusetts Societ}^ for Promoting Agriculture, 

 which is represented on the Board by special act, and holds 

 no institutes, while 6 societies held 4 or more. Eleven 

 other meetings have been held in various sections where 

 there is no agricultural society represented on the Board, 

 and where there is a demand for such meetings. The aver- 

 age attendance for the year has been the largest since records 

 of attendance have been kept, being 109, as against 102 for 

 last year, 104 for 1902, 107 for 1901, 91 for 1900 and 94 

 for 1899. At two of the meetings the attendance was 300 

 or over, at 21 from 200 to 299, at 2i) from 100 to 199, at 

 38 from 50 to 99, and at 24 it was less than 50. During 

 the year the work showed encouraging signs of progress in 

 certain sections Avhere it has heretofore been weak, and we 

 hope to be able to make an equally satisfactory report for 

 the other weak spots when the time shall come for a sum- 

 ming up of the work of 1905. 



Nursery Inspection. 

 This work has been thoroughly organized under the com- 

 petent direction of the present Nursery Inspector, and the 

 third year of the work shows a further improvement in the 



