No. 4.] ADDEESS OF WELCOME. 25 



remarks about the Board. It is sufficiently known every- 

 where. It stands upon its record. Our acquaintance dates 

 back to its organization, a period when book farming, as it 

 was called, and pedigree stock were at a heavy discount with 

 the average farmers of Massachusetts. By persevering eftbrts 

 the clouds of ignorance have been driven away, the fogs of 

 prejudice pierced, letting in the light of science, and the re- 

 ports of Massachusetts agriculture, which were ridiculed as the 

 vaporings of cranks and visionary theorists, are sought after,, 

 read, studied, accepted and adopted as standard agricult- 

 ural authorities, at home and abroad. Of the Housatonie 

 Agricultural Society, the visiting delegate of the Board, who 

 has travelled quite extensively, a close observer, free to criti- 

 cise when he considered necessary, and as free to commend 

 when he saw merit, said at the annual cattle show and fair in 

 1892, " This society represents more agriculture than any 

 county society in the State." Of the cattle, he said, "I 

 have seen here as good cattle as I have seen in Massachu- 

 setts : as o;ood as I saw the other side of the ocean." Ac- 

 cepting his judgment, I need not say more. 



I welcome you to Great Barrington, a historic town, pos- 

 sessing many attractions, which need only to be seen to be 

 appreciated — to this beautiful village, hemmed in partly by 

 the adjacent hills, and being what nature designed as the 

 business centre of Southern Berkshire. The national and 

 savings banks, the district and probate and insolvency courts,, 

 and the office of the register of deeds are all located here. 

 It has a board of trade, composed of active business men, 

 ever on the alert, looking to the business interests and the 

 prosperity of the village. 



Since the former meeting of the Board here, many and 

 great improvements have been made, of which it would 

 occupy too much time to specify all. Several cotton and 

 woollen mills have been built, old ones enlarged, and new 

 ones in process of building, along the Housatonie Kiver. 

 Kellogg Terrace has been erected, at a cost of upward of 

 one million dollars. During the year past, several new 

 business blocks on Main Street have been built, and better, 

 more convenient postal accommodations have been furnished 

 by the United States Government, and the large, commo- 



