30 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



ceeded by Mr. John E. Russell, a very accomplished secre- 

 tary, and he was succeeded by Mr. William R. Sessions, 

 who is now your vice-president. Mr. Sessions was suc- 

 ceeded by Mr. James W. Stockwell, and Mr. Stockwell was 

 succeeded by the present Secretary of the Board, Mr. Ells- 

 worth. Worcester County has furnished most of the sec- 

 retaries of your Board. Mr. Flint married a Worcester 

 County lady, so we shall have to count him in. During 

 this long term of years AVorcester County has furnished all 

 but two of the secretaries. 



It was my good fortune once to be a meml^er of this 

 Board. I think it was in 1872 that I was elected, and I 

 remained until 1<S(S4. There are but two persons living that 

 were on the Board at the time, and I notice but two per- 

 sons present who were members when I was a member of 

 the Board. 



This Board has done a great work in forwarding agricul- 

 ture throu<2:hout the Commonwealth, and not onlv this Com- 

 mon wealth but many others have received a great benefit 

 from the instructions that have emanated from this Board 

 of Agriculture. In fact, Mr. Flint's reports were a perfect 

 encyclopedia of agriculture, containing information of all 

 the different pursuits that we had followed, and have been a 

 great help to the farmers of the Commonwealth. 



The Horticultural Society, of Avhich you are now a guest, 

 was organized in 1840, and this hall was erected in 1851. 

 In the course of the year we have twenty-five exhibitions of 

 fruits and flowers and vegetaUes, which have been a great 

 help to this section and to the county and to the Common- 

 wealth. During the winter we have ten meetings for lec- 

 tures and discussions, which prove of vast benefit ; and we 

 also have one annual bancjuet, which brings the society to- 

 gether in a social way. 



Colonel Wilder used to say that we were the second rich- 

 est society in the world, and I think he told the truth. He 

 used to come here and lecture to us and talk to us in a 

 horticultural way, and we were always delighted. You all 

 know very ^vcl] that he was the Nestor of the Board of 

 Agriculture, and remained with it as long as he lived. 



