No. 4.] XE\V ENGLAND A(JRICULTUKE. 109 



lecture, and I have been satif^ficd not to say a word myself; 

 but I fool, as one of the delegates of the State Board, that I 

 have some duty to perform, some work to do. T don't feel 

 that it is mv duty to go to these meetings and do nothini>-, 

 to take no active part in the doings of the Board. 



Gentlemen, it has ahva3'S been my life to im})rove the 

 stock of our town, of our county and of our State. If 

 you hnprove the neat stock of Massachusetts, the horses, 

 the sheep and the swine, 3'ou improve the men. No man 

 can look upon a nice animal and not feel that he is blessed ; 

 no man can look U})on a scrub without feeling scrubby. 

 \Miat we want to do to-day is to encourage young farmers 

 to raise better stock. We can have better cattle in New 

 England if we will onl}^ take hold of the matter. It belongs 

 to the State Board of Agriculture, I feel, to take the advance 

 step in the matter of improvement. 



Mr. (of Petersham). There is nothing that needs 



improving more than our farms. What is there more exhil- 

 arating than to be able to make two tons of grass orow 

 where we have been getting but one? Irrigation will, I 

 think, improve om* farms more than any other one thing. 

 It ma}^ be expensive at first, but there is nothing which will 

 enrich our farms more. I have increased the production of 

 my farm, which was a good one when I bought it, more than 

 twofold, and my success has certainly made me love that 

 home. I think it makes any one love his home to improve 

 it. I think what we need is to improve these homes. It is 

 what makes us all contented, — to think we have something 

 there, something for our children to look upon, something- 

 beautiful : and one thino- that makes our homes attractive 

 is to have the city people come and board with us. The 

 city people that come to Petersham are an honor to any 

 town. 



Ex-Sec. J. W. Stockwell (of Sutton). I am very glad 

 to add my word to the valuable discourse to which we have 

 listened. I have been travelling around the State some this 

 summer and fall, and have found out some things which 

 interest me intensely. If Massachusetts is to take any rank 

 in the exposition that is to be held in St. Louis, it is because 



