HEDGES AND FENCES. 229 



Voted, That the Secretary be instructed to communicate a 

 copy of the above vote to the Trustees, to be communicated by 

 them,' if they see fit, to the legislature. . 



Voted, That the subject of the connection of the Board with 

 the Agricultural College be referred to a committee of five, to 

 be appointed by the Chair, to consider and report upon it to 

 the Board. 



Messrs. King, Saltonstall, Davis, Hyde, and T. W. Ward. 



Messrs. Porter, Sanderson, Clement, Billings, Stockbridge and 

 Durfee presented their reports as delegates respectively to the 

 Worcester South-East, Hampshire, Hampden, Hampshire, 

 Franklin and Hampden, Franklin, and the Martha's Vineyard 

 Societies. 



SECOND DAY. 



The Board met according to adjournment, Colonel Wilder in 

 the chair. 



Reports of delegates were submitted as follows : By Dr. Lor- 

 ing upon the Middlesex South; Mr. H. S. Ward upon the 

 Essex ; Mr. Hyde upon the Worcester North ; Mr. Johnson 

 upon the Hampden East ; Mr. Knowlton upon the Norfolk ; 

 Mr. Cole upon the Bristol ; Mr. Watkins upon the Bristol Cen- 

 tral ; Mr. Hubbard upon the Plymouth ; Mr. Thatcher upon the 

 Barnstable ; Mr. T. W. Ward upon the Nantucket. 



Mr. Slade submitted the following Report on 



HEDGES AND FARM FENCES. 



The planting of hedges and the building and maintaining of 

 farm fences is ti'uly a very important item* of farm husbandry. 

 The amount annually expended for these purposes forms no 

 small item in farm accounts. 



As this class of improvements does not directly contribute to 

 the yearly income of tlie farm, in many sections of the State 

 they have been sadly neglected. 



To see a farm neatly and handsomely fenced, while travelling 

 in almost any direction, is an exception to the general rule ; 

 while a reeling rail fence or a dilapidated stone wall is a prom- 

 inent feature in almost every landscape. Yet there is no invest- 

 ment which gives a more real or permanent value to the farm 

 than that which is made for the purpose of neatly and substan- 

 tially inclosing its fields. 



