1891.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 373 



whose duty it is to act for the Board in cases of emergency ; 

 also a delegate is appointed to attend the fair of each society 

 represented on the Board, who is to make report to the 

 Board, at its next annual meeting, of the fair and of the con- 

 dition and work of such society. The Board also holds an 

 annual three days' public meeting for lectures and discus- 

 sions, at such place within the Commonwealth as it may 

 designate, beginning on the first Tuesday in December. It 

 also requires that each agricultural society receiving the 

 bounty of the Commonwealth shall arrange and hold not less 

 than three farmers' institutes each calendar year within its 

 limits, and the Board renders all the assistance in its power 

 to make such institutes interesting and profitable. The 

 secretary attends as many as is compatible with other duties 

 of his office, and provides lecturers as far as the appropria- 

 tion for this object will warrant. 



There are also many other minor duties and requirements 

 which want of space will prevent enumerating. . 



The secretary, from the nature of his position, early became 

 the chief officer and organ of the Board, which in turn is the 

 organ of the farming community. The office is placed near 

 and connected with the government, so that the whole legis- 

 lation in reference to bounties, premiums and general agri- 

 cultural interest of the State is looked after and influenced 

 by the department. 



Since the formation of the Board, an entire change has 

 taken place in public opinion with regard to the importance 

 of agricultural education. It sustained and cherished the 

 first general efforts for the establishment of the Massachu- 

 setts Agricultural College, now so favorably known and 

 appreciated ; it has done much for the improvement of the 

 agricultural literature of the country, and in its office is 

 gathered a valuable agricultural library of two thousand 

 volumes ; it originated the law for the protection of sheep 

 and the law for the inspection of fertilizers, and appointed a 

 State agricultural chemist ; by its prompt and persistent 

 action it greatly assisted the cattle commissioners in stamp- 

 ing out the plague of pleuro-pneumonia in 1860 ; it has 

 brought together from time to time a band of the leading 

 practical and scientific agriculturists, whose knowledge has 



