32 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



to be proud of, perhaps, unless it be her good soil and 

 her crop of young men and women, — not absorbed by the 

 home market, but year by year sent forth to supply new 

 blood and energy to Worcester, Boston and other cities 

 and large towns ir^ this and other States, and perhaps the 

 longevity of her people. A few years ago one of our 

 citizens reached the great age of 104 years, and to-day 

 another has attained the age of 100 years. I cherish the 

 hope that your stay here may prove as pleasant to yourselves 

 as it certainly will be profitable to those who may be in 

 attendance upon your sessions. 



The people of this town recall with pleasure the meetings 

 held here by this Board fourteen years ago. When several 

 members now present were here, and one other, now de- 

 parted, whose genial and urbane presence, with his marvellous 

 store of knowledge, did so much to render these meetings 

 interesting and valuable, whose memory we of this town 

 still cherish and revere, — the great and good Agassiz. 



I well remember, also, during the closing session of that 

 meeting, that on behalf of a committee of our citizens, whose 

 pleasant duty it was to extend to the Board the hospitalities 

 of the town, I referred to our lack of railroad communica- 

 tion which made it so inconvenient for you to reach us, the 

 nearest station then being eight or nine miles distant, and 

 inviting you to come again, with the assurance, which I 

 verily thought I could give, that you would be brought over 

 the Massachusetts Central Railroad. But, alas ! that was 

 not to be. Still I feel that the indications of progress are 

 now so decided, that I am willing to promise that if you 

 will come again next year we will furnish you transportation 

 over the Central Massachusetts. 



Gentlemen, on behalf of the Worcester County West 

 Agricultural Society, whose home is to be your home for the 

 next few days, I now have the honor of presenting to you 

 the President of that societ}^ the Hon. Charles A. Glea- 

 SON of New Braintree. 



