12 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



from tlic State, and tliey were not able to penetrate below the 

 crust of information which the farmer demanded. They never 

 had encouraged the talent of such men as Liebig, Boussingault, 

 or Jolmston, or had a literature that was as respectable as it 

 ought to be. The agricultural newspapers of this country, Mr. 

 Copeland said, were much below the standard of those of other 

 countries ; and he would not be satisfied that the literary duties 

 of our agricultural societies were properly done until they 

 establish a quarterly journal of agriculture, as other countries 

 had. Agricultural professorships in our colleges should also 

 be established, and the farmer made to know tliat wearing a 

 green jacket and blue overalls and driving a team, was not 

 all that designated a farmer — but that he was a man of mind, 

 and should impart it to his occupation. He moved that a com- 

 mittee of five be appointed to take into consideration whether 

 any tiling can be done to benefit the cause of agriculture in this 

 Commonwealth in a permanent shape. 



A lengthy conversational discussion took place on the powers 

 and agricultural jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Society 

 for the Promotion of Agriculture, the lassitude of which had 

 been the cause of so much comment. The object of the con- 

 versation was to elicit tlie nature and extent of the connection 

 it had with the local societies, and in how far the establishment 

 of a new association would affect the connection and usefulness 

 of the State and local organizations. 



Dr. Loring, of Salem, said he had heard only two questions 

 mooted since he came here, and these were, whether we had a 

 State society ? and whether we had a proj^er agricultural liter- 

 ature ? He liad no doubt that we had a State society, nor tliat 

 they had not for some time past, but would be willing now to 

 cojiform to public opinion in a greater measure than they haA^e 

 done. As to the character of the literature of our agricultural 

 societies, he was at issue with the gentleman who had com- 

 mented on it. The State reports were invahiable to the farmer, 

 as Mr. Loring knew jiracticall}^ and so were the agricultural 

 papers, and lie was unwilling to stand here and hear them 

 demeaned in favor of papers and journals published over the 

 water, whose theories were totally inapplicable to this State. 

 High sounding theories and speculations were not what was 

 wanted here. What was really desiderated, were the facts on 

 which the common farmer built up his prosperity ; and for this 

 ])urposo, and for other useful purposes, the agricultural liter- 

 ature of jMassacliusetts was not inferior to any foreign literature 

 — no matter what names or influences gave it endorsement. He 

 read it himself, and was glad to have the opportunity, and 

 thousands of the most intelligent of our farmers did the same. 

 This was a sufficient defence for it. Mr. Loring recommended 

 that the niecling take no steps to constitute a new society, but 



