8 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



set address, but a few general remarks upon the great interest 

 of agriculture ; for the address to which we had the honor of 

 listening last year, from Dr. Loring, of Salem, was so exhaustive 

 upon all topics of special interest to the Board, and with regard 

 to the history of the Board, as to leave nothing to be said in 

 those directions. Any resume of the agricultural doings of the 

 country during the last year falls more properly to our Secre- 

 tary, and will be done so much more efficiently by him, that I 

 do not propose to say anything upon that subject. 



I propose to ask your attention, for a few moments, to the 

 history of the Board, and to the agriculture of the State during 

 the sixteen years or more the Board has been in operation. 

 During these years the Board has been organized, and the agri- 

 culture of Massachusetts has made a steady advance ; and this 

 advancement has been due, in part, at least, to the constant 

 efforts of the Board to promote and improve the art of farming. 

 It is emphatically a representative body, composed almost wholly 

 of delegates from the agricultural societies of the State, bring- 

 ing the various practices of husbandry in all parts of the State 

 to the criticism and discussion of its members in convention 

 twice every year, receiving from its various committees every 

 year exhaustive reports upon all the important branches of agri- 

 culture, which are published in the Transactions for gratuitous 

 distribution among farmers, and for exchange with other States 

 for their published experiences, so that the experience of many 

 of the States is brought within the reach of all who will take 

 the trouble to go to the office of the Secretary at the State 

 House. All these commend it to the farmer as his department 

 in the State organization — really the Department of Agriculture. 

 The Board has also aided, by the distribution of its Transactions, 

 and the personal efforts of its members, in the organization of 

 Farmers' Clubs, those effective institutions, which, wherever 

 they have existed, have greatly improved the farming in their 

 vicinity, and have done much towards demonstrating that farm- 

 ing is an intellectual pursuit, and thrives in proportion as 

 intellect is applied to it. In this town the crops have increased 

 twenty-five per cent, since the formation of our Farmers' Club. 

 On our light land over twenty bushels of prime wheat to the 

 acre have been raised by several persons during the last tliree or 

 four years. But this yield of wheat is light in comparison with 



