MASS. BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 419 



thus made, for the general benefit of the profession of agricul- 

 ture. I would take the liberty to recommend to the worthy 

 gentleman who last spoke, to read this report before he makes 

 objections to a plan for the improvement of agriculture in Mas- 

 sachusetts, based on that report. You need only to read this 

 work, or one of the reports of the patent office, or the better 

 class of agricultural newspapers, in order to know that there 

 have been immense additions to agricultural science, strictly so 

 called, and to those sciences in general which may be applied 

 to the art of agriculture. 



The fact, indeed, seems to be generally admitted that there 

 has, in one quarter and another, among men of science and the 

 cultivators of the soil, been a great increase of knowledge, 

 both theoretical and practical, on this subject. But the light 

 is scattered, not concentrated, and, therefore, not effectual. It 

 is light such as has, by some, been supposed to exist after God 

 said, " Let there be light, and there was light," and before the 

 sun was created. According to this theory, they suppose that 

 the light thus diffused through space, thus ineffectual, thus in- 

 capable of being applied to any useful pviipose, was collected 

 by the Creator and concentrated in the sun, which he " set in 

 the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the earth," 

 so that " the greater light should rule the day, and the lesser 

 light the night," and order thus be brought out of chaos. 



Something like this may be true of the science and of the 

 practical skill which is scattered over the land and the world. 

 What we need is an organization, under the authority of the 

 State, which shall collect this scattered light, whether in this or 

 in another hemisphere, so that it shall become effectual, and not 

 any longer be " light shining in darkness, and the darkness com- 

 prehending it not." What we need, is an organization which 

 shall collect the light of science and of practical experience 

 into an agricultural institution, as into a focus, from which it 

 can go forth, as from a radiant point, over the Commonwealth 

 and the country, and, if you please, the world. 



Remarks of Judge Mack, of Salem :— It has been said, sir, 

 that we have no science. It is too true that we have not much 

 science on the subject of agriculture in Massachusetts. And this 



