330 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



popular form and simple language, of any important agri- 

 cultural work in this or other countries. Massachusetts 

 farmers are receiving to some extent the work of our own 

 station, but there may be valuable bulletins issued by other 

 stations, of which we ought to have the benefit. Then there 

 are valuable papers read before the Board from time to time, 

 which are literally buried in the reports. Abstracts of the 

 papers read at our last public winter meeting at Worcester 

 ought to have been sent to every farmer in the State within a 

 week after they were delivered. Mr. Wood's valuable paper 

 on fruits, delivered at Easthampton last year, now buried in 

 the agricultural report, should have been spread broadcast 

 throughout the State ; while Mr. Goddard's paper on 

 "Choosing an Occupation " ought to have been placed in the 

 hands of every farmer's boy. The reports of the Board are 

 widely circulated ; but black volumes are bulky bugbears, 

 while leaflets containing pithy statements are popular, and 

 will be read from beginning to end. The agricultural press 

 is doing a great work in this direction, and deserves 

 recognition ; but the work should not be left entirely to the 

 press. 



Reform the Institutes, etc. 



The institutes have also done good work, but they also 

 need to be reformed. In many of the societies they are now 

 perfunctory meetings, held simply for the purpose of com- 

 plying with the requirements of the Board, in order to obtain 

 the State bounty. The institute of to-day is losing its hold 

 and influence, and its place. -must be taken by a system of 

 instruction that shall more directly appeal, as Governor 

 Hoard says, to the "good sense and understanding of the 

 farmer." 



I have tried to present a line of work broad enough to 

 keep this Board and the agricultural societies employed for 

 some time to come, — work which it seems to me is directly 

 in harmony with the laws establishing the societies, and also 

 with section 10, of the law which established this Board, 

 which provides for suitable agents to go about the State not 

 only to inquire into the methods and wants of practical hus- 

 bandry, but also to disseminate useful information by means 

 of lectures "and otherwise." These agents could be the 



