274 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



THE PROMOTION OF AGRICULTURE. 



BY FRANCIS H. APPLETON OF PEABODY. 



It may prove interesting to briefly consider our subject 

 in two directions, which at once suggest themselves, both 

 retrospectively and as to some possibilities for the future. 

 Let us first consider the former, and in so doing it will be 

 interesting for us to view some of the advances brought 

 about in organized agriculture within our own country, in 

 connection with a few facts in regard to agricultural associa- 

 tions in other lands. 



The first European agricultural society appears to be that 

 founded in the north of Italy about 1705. We are told that 

 its life was short. 



Southern Europe was also early in establishing systematic 

 education at a farm school in 1706, but the knowledge and 

 methods there promulgated were undoubtedly crude and 

 unsatisfactory ; although we are told that, covering a period 

 of about thirty years, three thousand peasants were instructed 

 in the " higher systems of farming," which would seem, at 

 least, to indicate the need and desire of those people for 

 really higher agricultural knowledge, and probably some 

 attractive method of offering what appeared to be something 

 choice in that direction was adopted to attract so large a 

 number of persons. In this case ignorance probably proved 

 itself to be bliss, as advancement is reported to have been 

 slight. 



The year 1723 gave birth to the Society of Improvers in 

 the Knowledge of Agriculture for Scotland, which was short 

 lived, but revived in 1735 only for a second brief period. 



The year 1731 saw the Dublin Society for the Improve- 

 ment of Husbandry established ; and in 1737 the Yorkshire 

 Agricultural Society was organized, at whose exhibition in 

 1873 it was my pleasure to see a show of those superb 



