PUBLIC MEETING OF THE BOAED 

 AT GREAT BARRINGTON. 



The country meeting of the Board for the year 1884, was 

 held at the Town Hall, in Great Barrington, commencing on 

 Tuesday, December 2d, and continuing until noon of the 4th. 

 The meetings were not as well attended as they should have 

 been by the farmers of the western part of the State. A 

 number of the prominent agriculturists of Connecticut were 

 present, some of whom participated in the proceedings. 



The meeting was called to order at 10.30 by Mr. Merritt 

 I. Wheeler of Great Barrington, member of the Board 

 from the Housatonic Society, who delivered the following 

 address. 



MR. wheeler's address. 



It is my privilege, as an acquaintance of both, to introduce 

 to the members of the Housatonic Agricultural Society and 

 to the citizens of southern Berkshire the Massachusetts State 

 Board of Agriculture. To facilitate the acquaintance, I 

 may be permitted to say a few words descriptive of each of 

 the parties who meet to-day for the first time. Of the 

 Board of Agriculture it is necessary to say but very little. 

 That organization is known and read of all men who are 

 interested in the agriculture of Massachusetts. For more 

 than thirty years the record of its proceedings as detailed 

 in the Secretary's report, has been published and scattered 

 among the agricultural community of the Commonwealth, 

 and sought after and read with the greatest interest. 



I think the first meeting of this kind held by the Board 

 was at Springfield in 1864, twenty years ago this present 

 month, and these meetings have been held annually ever 

 since in different parts of the State, coming to-day for the 



