1891.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 369 



THE STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



From Bulletin No. 5, Crop Report for September, 1890. 



The State Board of Agriculture was established by an Act 

 of the Legislature in 1852, and the first meeting was held 

 at the Council Chamber, Boston, July 22 of the same year, 

 being presided over by His Excellency George S. Boutwell. 



The first movement on the part of Massachusetts in mod- 

 ern agricultural progress was the appointment of Henry 

 Colman as State commissioner, in 1836, for the agricultu- 

 ral survey of the State ; and he prepared three excellent 

 volumes on the agriculture of Massachusetts, counties of 

 Essex, Berkshire, Franklin and Middlesex, and one volume 

 on wheat and silk. However, this work was regarded by 

 the Legislature of so little importance that it was suspended 

 in the year 1840. 



In 1850 the Legislature created a board of commissioners 

 to report at the next session upon the expediency of estab- 

 lishing agricultural schools or colleges. This commission 

 consisted of Marshall P. Wilder, Edward Hitchcock, Samuel 

 A. Eliot, Thomas E. Payson and Eli Warren, and their 

 report was made to the Legislature at its session in 1851. 

 In this report it was recommended that a State department 

 v of agriculture be established, to consist of one member from, 

 and to be elected by, each of the incorporated agricultural 

 societies receiving the bounty of the State. 



The preliminary efforts for the establishment of the State 

 Board of Agriculture emanated from a meeting of the trus- 

 tees of the Norfolk Agricultural Society, held Jan. 28, 1851. 

 It was there voted that "the president and secretaries be a 

 committee to mature and adopt a plan for a convention of 

 delegates from the various agricultural societies of the Com- 

 monwealth, to be holden at some convenient time and place, 



