124 BOARD OF AGRICULTUEE. 



Where do we look for the leading exponents of this 

 knowledge ; do we not turn tir.st towards her who now has 

 clustered around her a lurije number of alumni who cherish 

 strong affection for their ao;ricultural Alma Mater at Amherst ? 



To the Agricultural College and Experimental Station we 

 look for aid, and trust that they will receive all proper help 

 and encouragement in their good work to educate and 

 develo[). 



To refer more especially to forestry : — 



Last year there was published in the Annual Report of 

 the State Board of Agriculture an interesting essay on 

 forest trees by Professor Sargent, which deserves the careful 

 attention of every intelligent citizen of the Commonwealth. 



Because an essay is a year or more old is no reason why 

 it should bo laid on the shelf, although, more often, what is 

 news to-day is not such in the future. 



We know how some republications often are in far greater 

 demand than new books ; and, although the subject of for- 

 estry, and forest and ornamental trees in general, cannot be 

 expected to attract the attention of as many people as a 

 popular novel, it is a subject that deserves far greater study 

 than is accorded it to-day. In saying so, I have in mind the 

 value to our State- of a more general understanding of the 

 merits of a judicious care and planting of trees, in both 

 large and small quantities, on farms, along roadsides and on 

 home grounds, in villages and cities. I use the word " vil- 

 lages " instead of " towns," because most towns are made up 

 of collections of villages, and village improvement societies 

 afford a better means of effecting local improvement than do 

 larger organizations ; also because there are a considerable 

 number of village-improvement societies in existence to-day, 

 or organizations that have local improvement for their object, 

 and which are doing good work. 



It is said that in some localities farming is less profitable 

 than formerly, or perhaps it might be more truly said that 

 the income derived from the farm is insufficient to meet the 

 increased expenses that education of the present day leads 

 many to believe is necessary. 



Every possible effort should be made to advance the con- 

 dition of agriculture, and all suggestions that may propose 



