X BOARD OF AGEICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



by the Dracut Grange, Hon. N. J. Baehelder, ex-governor 

 of New Hampsliii-e, and now Master of the National Grange, 

 gave an interesting address on the subject " Matters of im- 

 portance in rural betterment." The afternoon was devoted 

 to a visit to the farm of Mr. C, I. Hood, and an inspection 

 of his fine stock of Jersey cattle and Berkshire swine. The 

 meeting is reported in detail elsewhere in this volume. 



The public winter meeting for lectures and discussions was 

 held at Worcester, at the invitation of the Worcester Agricul- 

 tural Society and the Worcester County Horticultural Society, 

 and was well up to the standard of these meetings. While 

 the attendance ^vas not what it should have been, when the 

 central location of the place of meeting and the high order 

 of lectures provided is considered, it was nevertheless as large 

 as usual, and of unusually high quality in mental grasp and 

 alertness. Those attending the meeting were invited to visit 

 the farm of Mr. Chas. W. Wood of Shrewsbury on the after- 

 noon of the last day. Many availed themselves of this priv- 

 ilege, to their great satisfaction. The lectures and discussions 

 of the meeting will be found printed in this volume. 



The annual business meeting; of the Board was held at 

 Boston, Jan. i) and 10, 190(), and special business meetings 

 were held in connection with the summer and winter meet- 

 ings. The minutes of this meeting, with reports of com- 

 mittees, are included in this volume. 



AgRTCTTLTURAL SorTKTTES. 



Owing to the unfavorable weather of the first ha If of Sep- 

 tember, the agricultural societies, as a whole, had a less 

 successful year financially than has been the case of late, 

 though a considerable number of the fiiirs held under these 

 adverse conditions resulted without ac;tual loss. One society, 

 the Hoosac Valley, held its first fair after a suspension of 

 several years, and reports a very successful year financially. 

 Judging from the reports of inspectors, the fairs appear to 

 have been successful from the most important point of view, 

 — that of their iiiiluencc on the improvement of agriculture. 

 Very few objectionable features found their \vay onto the 

 grounds, and these were at once suppressed. 



