178 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Sect. 6. They may prescribe forms for and regulate the returns 

 required of the different agricultural societies, and furnish to the 

 secretaiy of each such blanks as they deem necessary to secure uni- 

 form and reliable statistics. 



Sect. 7. They shall annually, on or before the fourth Wednesday 

 of January, b} 7 their chairman or secretary, submit to the legisla- 

 ture a detailed report of their doings, with such recommendations 

 and suggestions as the interests of agriculture may require. 



Sect. 8. The secretary of the board shall in each 3-ear cause to 

 be made and published for distribution as full an abstract of the 

 returns of the agricultural societies as he deems useful. 



Sect. 9. He may appoint one or more suitable agents to visit 

 the towns in this state, under the direction of the board, for the ■ 

 purpose of inquiring into the methods and wants of practical hus- 

 bandry, ascertaining the adaptation of agricultural products to soil, 

 climate and markets, encouraging the establishment of farmers' 

 clubs, agricultural libraries and reading-rooms, and of disseminat- 

 ing useful information in agriculture by means of lectures and 

 otherwise. Such agents shall annually, in October, make detailed 

 reports to the secretary of the board. 



[Acts of 1866, Chapter 263.] 



Section 1. The board of agriculture shall constitute a board of 

 overseers of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, with powers 

 and duties to be defined and fixed by the governor and council. 

 But said board of overseers shall have no powers granted to con- 

 trol the action of the trustees of said college, or to negative their 

 powers and duties, as defined by chapter two hundred and twenty of 

 the acts of the year eighteen hundred and sixty-three. 



Sect. 2. The board of agriculture is hereby authorized to locate 

 the state agricultural cabinet and library and to hold its meetings in 

 said college. 



Sect. 3. The president of the Agricultural College is hereby 

 constituted a member ex officio of the board of agriculture. 



[Acts of 1874, Chapter 206.] 

 Sect. 4. The chemist of the state board of agriculture shall 

 be ex officio a member of said board and state inspector of fertil- 

 izers. It shall be the duty of said inspector to analyze one or 

 more specimens of every kind of commercial fertilizer coming 

 within the provisions of this act, which may be offered for sale 

 within this Commonwealth, and of which he shall be informed by 

 the secretary of the state board of agriculture ; and for this pur- 

 pose he is authorized to take from any package or packages of said 



