xii BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



uiiis for other In-ceds and varieties. The same principle is 

 applicable to other kinds of live stock, and to fruits and vege- 

 tables as well. Societies could do much for agriculture by 

 reverting to an old custom, and offering premiums for crops 

 grown under best conditions, the committees to visit these 

 crops in the field and make their awards on the whole crop, 

 rather than for single specimens or a limited number of 

 specimens exhibited in the hall of the society. More can be 

 done for the dairy interests l)y premiums for competitive 

 tests of milk and butter production than by })remiums for 

 ideal shape and fancy points. 



Expert judges are required to be employed by the socie- 

 ties at the present time, and I would recommend that these 

 iudofes be enoacred from outside the territorial limits of the 

 society, and that the}^ should not be members of it, — at 

 least, in the case of those employed in the live stock and 



poultry classes. 



Fakmeks' Institutes . 



The work of the year in this line has l)een the most suc- 

 cessful since the institution of these meetings. The appro- 

 priation for tlie support of this work, together with that in 

 other lines, was increased $300, making an aggregate of 

 $3,000, only about one-half of which, however, is applied to 

 farmers' institutes. This increase enabled us to hold an 

 increased number of meetings, and also to do something in 

 demonstration work. The field meeting of the Board at 

 Lowell is reported under another heading, and does not 

 require mention here. Another demonstration was held at 

 the New England fair, at Worcester, and proved very suc- 

 cessful and interesting. 



Four circuits of institutes were held during the year, with 

 Prof. J. AV. Sanborn of New Ilampsliii-e, Dr. J. L. Hills of 

 Vermont, Prof. John Craig of ^e\v York, and Prof, C. S. 

 Phelps of Connecticut, as S})eakers. 



These mec^tings proved to be very instructive, and enal)led 

 the societies to hear speakers from a distance who could not 

 otherwise have ])een engaged. We shall repeat the imictice 

 durintr 1900, with Dr. (Jeori^^e M. Twitchell of Maine, Dr. 

 Chas. D. Woods, director of the Maine Agricultural Experi- 



