252 BOARD OF AGEICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



food products of cattle ; the " birds of the State, as to their 

 character, habits and value as insect-destroying and grain 

 and fruit destroying birds, and advise as to such legislation 

 as may be necessary ; " to collect and circulate information 

 in regard to abandoned or partially abandoned farms, etc. 



The care and oversight of the thirty-eight agricultural 

 societies is, however, the especial duty of the Board. The 

 fairs and institutes of these organizations have been attended 

 by delegates or members of the Board appointed for that 

 purpose ever since the Board was instituted. 



But all this is history, and, while history is most interest- 

 ing, the work of to-day is what most intimately concerns us 

 and the ao;riculturists of the State. The Legislature has for 

 years had great confidence in the Board of Agriculture. This 

 is shown by the lil)eral appropriations it has from time to 

 time made for agricultural purposes and which are expended 

 by the Board, its secretary and committees. The appropri- 

 ations for 189^ are as follows : — 



Bounties to societies, \ $21,500 00 



Incidentals for the office of the Board, ..... 500 00 



Members' travel, 1,900 00 



Secretary's travel, 600 00 



Lectures before the Board, 800 00 



Dissemination of useful information in agriculture, . . 1,400 00 



"Nails for marking shade trees, 100 00 



Dairy Bureau, = 4,000 00 



Balance of appropriation for 1891 for abandoned farms, . 1,323 38 



Extermination of the gypsy moth, 75,000 00 



Total, $107,023 38 



In addition to this lai-gc sum, the salaries of the secretary, 

 his clerks and assistant in the work of the Dairy Bureau, 

 amount to $G,800. There is also to be added the expense 

 of printing the re})ort on Agriculture of Massachusetts, 

 $5, M97. 58, making a grand total of 1119,720.96. 



The annual rei)()rt on Agriculture of Massachusetts, eight 

 hundred and forty-four i)ages, was issued INIarch 24, 1892, 

 of which fifteen thousand copies were printed and distributed 

 to the members of the Legislature (who had as required l)y law 

 nearly one-half of the edition) ; to the incorporated agricult- 

 ural societies, the granges and the farmer's clubs, in propor- 



