14 BOAKD OF AGKICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



is customary to date all events from some striking occur- 

 rence that may have happened, and chronology has arisen 

 in that way. When Mahomet fled away into exile, the 

 Hegirah or date of his departure became the point from 

 which the chronology of his followers began. The Greeks 

 based their chronology upon the Grecian games, and eveiy- 

 thing was dated either before or subsequent to that. In 

 the winter when the Board met here thirty years ago it was 

 some time in the month of December, and it was terribly 

 cold. I drove a sort of barge between here and the col- 

 lege. I had recently come to this country, and in my guile- 

 less, trustful simplicity, I trusted myself to the rigors of 

 that weather without proper covering, and froze my ear. 

 Since then I have dated all events from the day of freezing. 

 The good book tells us that if the enemy smite you on one 

 cheek to turn the other also, and for the sake of having this 

 Board come here again, I am willing to turn my other ear 

 and have it frozen, if so be I can get you here. 



It was a wonderful array of men that were present thirty 

 years ago. Too many of them, alas, have passed beyond 

 our ken and can no longer instruct us. The handsome 

 governor of Massachusetts, Dr. Loring, Professor Agassiz, 

 Alexander Hyde, Marshall P. Wilder, Captain Moore, 

 Velorous Taft, Colonel Stone, Mr. Bull of Concord, Dr. 

 Durfee of Fall River, Mr. Goodman of Berkshire, — all of 

 whom have now gone beyond the river. I think all of them 

 took part either in the way of essay, lecture or discussion. 

 A very interesting thing happened at that time. The ques- 

 tion of covering our hillsides with fruit trees and orchards 

 came up, and Professor Agassiz advanced the hope that he 

 might live to see the day when all our hillsides should be 

 covered with vines, and there should flow from them wine, 

 good, pure and cheap for the people. Velorous Taft locked 

 horns with him at once on the subject of temperance, and 

 if it had not been for Colonel Clark jumping up and pouring 

 oil on the troubled waters, I do not know how long the dis- 

 cussion would have continued. 



Professor Agassiz, who was one of our stanchest friends, 

 afterwards arose and said that when this question of agri- 

 cultural colleges had arisen, he was opposed to having one 



