490 MASS. BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



mer of 1850, was requested by tlie above-named coinmissioners, of whom he 

 was himself one, to visit as many of the institutions for agricultural education in 

 Europe, as would enable him to understand the system of instruction pursued in 

 those schools, and the mode of conducting and supporting them. The com- 

 missioners, in presenting to the Legislature last year the report of President 

 Hitchcock, expressed the opinion, that it embraced an amount of information 

 and research never before communicated to the American people on the sub- 

 jects referred to. Your memorialists concur in this estimate of the value of 

 President Hitchcock's memoir, and they consider it as superseding the neces- 

 sity of any elaborate argument, on their part, as to the expediency of extending 

 public aid and patronage to agricultural education. 



Without entering upon any general views of the importance of agriculture 

 as the leading pursuit of the people, and of the expediency of adopting some 

 measures hitherto untried in this Commonwealth, to promote its cultivation, 

 your memorialists would respectfully ask the attention of the Legislature to 

 the two practical measures which have been proposed for this end : 



The first is the establishment of a Board or Department of Agriculture, as a 

 government institution. Among the resolutions above referred to, and append- 

 ed to this memorial, is the following : — 



'^Resolved, That, inasmuch as agriculture is the chief occupation of her cit- 

 izens, the Commonwealth, in the organization of its government, should be 

 provided with a department of agriculture, with offices commensurate 

 with the importance of the duties to be discharged, of the abilities to be requir- 

 ed, and the labors to be performed." 



This subject engaged the attention of the last Legislature, and a bill was 

 reported from the joint committee of agriculture, providing for the creation of 

 a board of agriculture analogous to the board of education. It was to consist 

 of the governor and lieutenant governor ex officio, and of members to be ap- 

 pointed by the agricultural societies. It was to have power to employ a secre- 

 tary, and to prescribe his duties ; and its great object was to pursue a course 

 of measures in reference to the agriculture of the Commonwealth, similar to 

 that which has been pursued with such success by the board of education in 

 reference to that great interest. 



Among tliese measures may b.e enumerated a visitation of the county agri- 

 cultur^il societies, and attendance on their annual exhibitions ; the establish- 

 ment of an annual State exhibition to be held successively in the different 

 counties, with a distribution of premiums under tlie autliority of the board ; a 

 systematic agiicultural survey of the State once in ten years, with a view to 

 ascertain the progress of liusbandry ; a full register of agricultural statistics for 

 the Commonwealth ; and the dissemination of information valuable to the far- 

 mer, together with the formation of a State agricultural library. 



It is believed that the organization of an agricultural board, authorized by 

 law, to adopt these, and all other appiopriate measures to promote the improve- 

 ment of agriculture, miglit at a very moderate expense, render great benefit to 

 this important interest. 



The other measure above alluded to is a School for Agricultural Education. 

 As the principal object of President Hitchcock's report is the collection of in- 



