The influence of these publications as educa- 

 tors of writers for our press, is very marked. 

 The names which appear there and in our peri- 

 odicals are largely the same. A young man with 

 brains attends a society meeting, and, as a mat- 

 ter of necessity, his name appears in the trans- 

 actions as a talker, or the giver of an idea. The 

 young man is emboldened to think and write by 

 this public appearance, and agriculture is a 

 gainer. Perhaps we have no such stimulus to 

 agricultural thought as these transactions, and 

 when the conditions are favorable, results ap - 

 pear which are surprisingly effective. Our 

 Dairymens' transactions stand prominently for- 

 ward as proof. It is through our society work, 

 whether aided or unaided by the state, that our 

 literature is to become Americanized. Book 

 making and newspaper writing are apt to de- 

 velop i.i many minds a love for authority, and a 

 carelessness about the applicability of a princi- 

 ple, provided plausibility is gained. Our trans- 

 actions aid in Americanizing our literature, by 

 affording opportunity and space for individual- 

 ity to appear and gain credit. What our trans- 

 actions are capable of in this direction, is shown 

 in our Dairy Reports ; the tendency thereto, is 

 indicated by the work of societies less differen- 

 tiated. 



A poor book or a poor newspaper occupies val- 

 uable room in my study, and soon finds its level 

 in destruction. A society report, no matter how 

 poor, finds welcome to my shelf, as, if it tells me 

 not positive, yet it furnishes a negative data, 

 which sooner or later will be of advantage to 

 my work. Agriculture is a local art, and re- 

 quires to be Americanized for our use, and 

 praise indeed it is, to say of any agency, that it 

 tends in this direction. 



Would the space permit, it would be a pleas- 

 ure to review the list of names which appear in 

 these publications of a great state, and point 

 out how much our agriculture is indebted to 

 men comparatively obscure, yet even now influ- 

 encing by their work. Like a pebble cast in the 

 placid lake, so does our really honest writer, in- 

 fluence in ever expanding ripples, currents of 

 thought, which in turn influence others, and so 

 on towards eternity. We hardly appreciate, how 

 that we in this Centennial year, are but the 

 children of the present, born of the past, and 

 destined to prove the adult of the future. 



Massachusetts, with barren soil and fertile sea, 

 the state wherein industry has overcome obsta- 

 cles of poor soil and a discouraging severity of 

 climate, has ever laid more stress on her fisher- 

 ies and her commerce than on her agriculture. 

 Yet even she has protected her infant agricul- 

 ture by organized effort, and has encouraged 

 the development of her rural resources. 



In 1797, a few of her leading citizens formed 

 the Massachusetts Society for the promotion of 

 agriculture, and this society has been a power 

 for good, through the changing years, even to 

 the present time. It has imported improved 

 stock, and tools, animals and fertilizers, and has 

 ever been helpfull to the struggling specialities 

 of the farmers occupation. In 1797 the year of 

 incorporation, the trustees published some agri- 

 cultural pamphlets which afterward became a 

 journal to which they mostly contributed. 

 These were collected and published in ten vol- 

 umes 8 vo. Boston, from 1801 to 1826, under 

 the title of "Massachusetts Agricultural Repos- 

 itory and Journal." In 1858 they commence an- 

 other sei-ies of publications under the title of 

 Transactions of Massachusetts Society for pro- 

 motion of Agriculture, new series, vol. 3, 8 vo. 

 Boston, 1858. Part two was afterward published, 

 but the edition mysteriously disappeared from 

 the rooms of the society, and but two copies are 

 known to be in existence. Part three was pub- 

 blished in 1861, 8 vo. Boston. 



Aprill 12, 1837, a resolve passed the Legislature 

 for an agriculture survey of the state, and the 



Commissioner Henry Coleman made four re- 

 ports. First report. County of Essex, 1837 8 vo. 



Boston 1838, pp. 139. Second report, County of 

 Berkshire, 1838, 8 vo. Boston, 1839, pp. 194. 

 Third report en wheat and silk, 8 vo. Boston, 



1840, pp. 252. Fourth report, Counties of Frank- 

 lin and Middlesex, 8 vo. Boston 1841, pp. 258. 



In 1845 and 1846, the returns of agricultural 

 societies of Massachusetts, for these years where 

 collated and prepared by J. S. Palfrey two vol- 

 umes 8 vo. Boston 1846-1847. The continuation 

 under Wm. B. Calbam, Secretary of the Com- 

 monwealth, were " Transactions of the Agricul- 

 tural Societies of Massachusetts collated from 

 the original returns for 1847-48 and 1849, 3 vols. 

 8 vo. Boston, 1848-50. The next publication was 

 Transactions of the Agricultural Societies in the 

 state of Massachusetts, for 1851 and 1852 collated 

 from the original returns by Amasa Walker, 

 Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2 vols. 8 vo 

 Boston, 1852-53. 



April 21, 1852, the Massachusetts State Board 

 of Agriculture, was organized as a Department 

 of the Government. Annually thereafter has 

 appeared the " Report of the Secretary of the 

 Board of Agriculture of Massachusetts," 1854 to 

 187623 vols. In addition to these, and of late 

 years oound with them, has appeared an "Ab- 

 stract of the Returns of the Agricultural Socie- 

 ties of Massachusetts. 



In addition to these publications, the state has 

 published under authority of the Legislature, 

 " Insects Injurious to Vegetation," by T. W. 

 Harris, a standard and useful work, also a "Re- 

 port on the Trees and Shrubs growing naturally 

 in the Forests of Massachusetts," by Gep. B. Em- 

 erson, 8 vo. Boston, 1846. Several editions of 

 these works have appeared. 



Among the associated works in the state, 

 bearing on agriculture, we may mention the 

 " Massachusetts Cheese Manufacturer's Associa- 

 tion," whose seventh annual report appeared in 

 1872, also the influential and prosperous "Mass- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society," which was in- 

 corporated June 12, 1829. and has published 

 transactions, &c., 8 vo. Boston, 1829-76. As a 

 purely scientific feature, this state can also 

 claim the " Bulletin of the Bussey Institution," 

 an adjunct of Harvard College, which issued its 

 part 1 in 1874, 8 vo. Cambridge. Part V. the 

 conclusion of volume 1, appearing in 1876. 



This agricultural work has had a great influ- 

 ence on the state. The history of the Massa- 

 chusetts Society is an honorable one, and al- 

 though its work has been desultory, yet its ac- 

 tion has been high toned, and has been produc- 

 tive of large benefit. Its prodceedings show a 

 remarkable earnestness of agricultural thought. 

 and although not wholly free from criticism, 

 yet from the high character of its members, was 

 a foreshadowing of an American agricultural 

 literature. Its strongest influences on Massa- 

 chusetts farming has been brought about from 

 its cosmopolitan system of prizes, covering those 

 special details of agriculture which required the 

 most fostering, and 'through its importations, 

 which have been numerous. It is still a strong 

 society, and is still engaged in its good work. 



The appearance of the Board of Agriculture 

 was the natural result of the numerous county 

 societies, and its proceedings are marked by a 

 dignity worthy of a branch of the government. 

 The effect of its own actions on agricultural 

 thought may be traced in its own volumes. At 

 the first, its secretary was obliged, probably 

 from dearth of material, to write much himself, 

 and give to his office much attention ; but grad- 

 ually, as its influence was felt among thinking 

 farmers, material pressed forward almost in ex- 

 cess of the space allowed, so that of late years 

 the secretary has had to perform but little la- 

 labor, and that mostly of an executive or advi- 

 sory character. To such an extent has this pro- 

 gress gone on, that while the first volume con- 



