THE MEETING AT AMHERST. 247 



Of her practical agriculture it is unnecessary for me to speak. 

 You all know what it is ; — not all high, or exact, or remunera- 

 tive, but presenting examples of care and skill and intelligence 

 worthy of all imitation, and presenting, moreover, a progressive 

 spirit entitled in every way to the liberal bounty which the State 

 bestows. Upon this somewhat hard soil, and in a climate by no 

 means too genial, the light of science has been invoked to guide 

 us on our way. I would not be extravagant in my congratula- 

 tions or in my hopes ; but I know there are many here whose 

 minds must have been arrested, and whose admiration must 

 have been aroused, by the intellectual effort which has been 

 manifested in this hall during this prolonged meeting of this 

 Board. We whose minds are directed especially to the practi- 

 cal affairs of the farm, to the construction of farm buildings, 

 to the cultivation of crops, to the growing of fruit, and hay, and 

 grain, and roots, and who have brought our contributions here, 

 will not soon forget the vigor and brilliancy with which the most 

 delicate laws of science have been presented to us as a guide in 

 our practical affairs. We have listened with wonder to the elo- 

 quent periods of the great naturalist, as he laid bare the founda- 

 tions of the earth, and revealed to us the mechanical laws by 

 which our soils were created. We have been taught that a 

 careful application of science will protect us in the use of 

 those fertilizers upon which many of us depend for the profit- 

 able transaction of our business. Our attention has been 

 arrested by the ingenious and elaborate chemical experiments 

 which have taught us how to provide ourselves with healthful 

 food, and how to preserve it effectually against the attacks of 

 those putrefactive germs which swarm upon it the instant it is 

 devoted to our purposes. We have been told what our dairy 

 is, and have been led to believe that the laws of chemistry and 

 mechanics will be applied to its more profitable operations. I 

 am sure that the service performed in these high investigations 

 by Agassiz, and Gamgee, and Weld, and Willard, will be held 

 by us and this farming community in grateful remembrance. 

 We have at least learned that we have in our possession the 

 results of scientific investigations as the materials for our 

 educational work ; — and I believe that the prosperous and 

 industrious Commonwealth in which we live has the ability 

 to use these results to the best advantage in her system of 



