viii BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



complished had the appropriation been available earlier in 

 the season. The crop reports referred to above were an 

 experiment. The labor required to collect and arrange this 

 information was very considerable. The sixty farmers' 

 clubs and ninety granges scattered all over the State were 

 each requested to appoint a correspondent whose duty 

 should be to report monthly, answering questions pro- 

 pounded by means of a printed circular issued from this 

 office. INIost of these organizations responded promptly 

 with the information desired, while others neglected to do it 

 on time or ignored it altogether. Complete returns from each 

 one would enable us to make our work more reliable, and 

 more valuable to the farmers for whose benefit it is under- 

 taken. This experiment met with an appreciative recep- 

 tion. The demand for the reports increased from month 

 to month until an edition of 1,000 copies was required for 

 the October number. It is intended to resume this work on 

 the opening of spring. 



The secretary of the Board of Agriculture is ex officio a 

 trustee of the Massachusetts Agricultural College. As such 

 his duties at the college have been many and exacting during 

 the past year. In the absence of a regular professor of 

 agriculture the management of the college farm has devolved 

 upon the president of the college. His hands have been more 

 than full, and he has properly called on the members of 

 the Board of Trustees to assist him in this unusual duty. 

 Naturally the larger share of this work has fallen upon the 

 secretary. The starting of the College Experiment Station 

 with funds appropriated by the United States Congress has 

 also taxed the time and energies of the president and trustees, 

 thus increasing largely the demands upon the time and 

 strengtli of the occupant of this office. The trustees of the 

 college also insisted upon making the secretary of the Board 

 of Agriculture secretary of their board, so that the records 

 might be kept in this office, where they would be easy of 

 access to the interested public and the trustees. It will also 

 be remembered that the Legislature of 1888 enlarged the 

 Board of Control of the INIassachusctts Experiment Station 

 by adding the director of the station, one member to be 

 chosen by the Massachusetts State Grange, one member to 



