212 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



helps to agriculture. We must not rely upon Hercules to 

 help us, but rather hold that position for agriculture that 

 we claim for it, by our physical, intellectual and moral 

 strength, as its living illustration as, in the language of 

 Washington, " The most healthful, most useful and most 

 noble employment of man." 



Mr. Appleton. I would like to move that a most sincere 

 and hearty vote of thanks be extended to the speaker of 

 this morning and the speaker of this afternoon, for the 

 admirable way in which they have entertained and in- 

 structed us. 



The motion was seconded, and unanimously carried. 



Mr. P. M. Harwood of Barre. I have been very much 

 interested in the discourse this afternoon, and was especially 

 struck with that part which alluded to the fact that legisla- 

 tion should be in the interest of agriculture, rather than 

 special class legislation. It was during one of the first 

 meetings of this Board which I ever 'attended that the mat- 

 ter of inspection of fertilizers was brought up ; and I think 

 it was largely due to the influence brought to bear upon the 

 Legislature by this Board that a law was passed requiring 

 State inspection of fertilizers, and that the manufacturers of 

 fertilizers should state what they sell, and sell what they 

 state. Now, this was legislation in the interest of agri- 

 culture. At the annual meeting of the Board last spring 

 the Secretary asked me to prepare a paper upon grasses, to 

 be read before some of the institutes ; and, in looking up 

 that subject and studying it, my attention was especially 

 called to the fact that we needed an inspection of seeds. I 

 believe that we need an inspector of seeds in Massachusetts 

 just as much as we need an inspector of fertilizers ; and I 

 do not know but, as one gentleman says at my right, more. 

 I therefore think it would be perhaps well for this meeting 

 to express an opinion upon that subject ; and, as my atten- 

 tion was again called to the matter by this discourse, I have 

 just written a resolution which I will offer : — 



Resolved, That, iu the judgment of this meeting, a law should be 

 passed by our State Legislature, requiring that all seeds sold in 

 this State shall be sold under a guarantee that they possess a certain 



