X BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



to attend agricultural conventions and important agri- 

 cultural meetings in neighboring States are constantly- 

 pressed upon the Massachusetts secretary. These courtesies 

 cannot always be ignored, and meetings in New Hampshire, 

 Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut have been attended 

 during the year past. We have received a return in kind 

 from the secretaries of these States, gaining for the discus- 

 sions at our public meetings the knowledge and experience 

 of the officers of the State boards of these neighboring 

 States. 



The books in our office have been arranged in convenient 

 order for consultation, a reference catalogue of subjects 

 prepared, and about 300 new volumes added to the library, 

 which now numbers about 1,550 volumes. 



We have endeavored to make a complete directory of the 

 granges, farmers' clubs and other agricultural organiza- 

 tions in the State, showing the names, location, number of 

 members, number of meetings held the past year and names 

 and addresses of their officers. There are at present in the 

 State GO farmers' clubs with an active membership of 3,700, 

 and 97 granges with a membership of about 6,300. These 

 farmers' clubs held 618 meetings and the granges about 2,350 

 meetings during the past year. Circulars have been sent to 

 every town in the State, in the efforts to gain this informa- 

 tion. Prompt replies have usually been received, but in 

 some cases no response has been made. The same is true 

 of circulars sent out to county officials for information in 

 regard to the workings of the dog law and the damage to 

 domestic animals. The following table, though incomplete, 

 will be of interest to those who have given the matter atten- 

 tion : — 



