6S Marshall Pinckney Wilder. 



As early as 1849, when in the prime of life, he took an active part in 

 the organization of the Norfolk-county Agricultural Society. At the 

 primary meeting, his Excellency Charles Francis Adams, our distinguished 

 minister at the court of St. James, presided, and gave a handsome dona- 

 tion towards founding the society. Mr. Wilder was elected the president 

 of the association. He has been annually re-elected from that day to 

 this. In the autumn of the same year, the first exhibition of the society 

 was held at Dedham. It was a great agricultural day for that period, with 

 its assembly of ten thousand people, with the fine cattle-show, and with 

 the great array of talent that was collected at the dinner-table. The 

 president was the orator of the day, and, for an hour and a quarter, 

 discoursed eloquently upon the noble subject of agriculture, particularly 

 agricultural education. At the festive board were assembled, by his 

 invitation, Webster, Everett, Mann, Quincy, Briggs, and a galaxy of names 

 such as are seldom recorded on similar occasions.* The novelt}- of the 

 presence of ladies at the tables, at the instance of the president, made the 

 hours pass all the more agreeably ; and the custom was soon adopted at 

 similar anniversaries throughout New England. 



At this period, and during his whole life, Mr. Wilder received many 

 invitations to deliver addresses before various agricultural societies. The 

 Governor of this Commonwealth appointed him Chairman of the Massa- 

 chusetts Commission for the World's Fair in London, in 1850. As 

 another compliment for his agricultural and horticultural services, he was 

 appointed a commissioner of the Exhibition of the Industry' of all Nations, 

 in the Crystal Palace in New -York City, in 1853, and was present on 

 that occasion. He was also appointed, by the Royal Pomological So- 

 ciety of Belgium, — a government institution, — the commissioner for 

 America. 



In several addresses. Col. Wilder has advocated agricultural education ; 

 and, while President of the Senate, procured the passage in that body, by 

 a unanimous vote, of a bill for the establishment of an Agricultural College, 

 which failed in the House. In consequence of this failure, he submitted 

 a bill, which passed into a resolve, authorizing the Executive to appoint a 

 board of five commissioners, who were to examine the subject more 



* Agricultural Transactions of Norfolk County, 1849-51, pp. i3:-i4S. 



