THE STATE BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. 



The State Board of Agriculture was established by an 

 Act of the Legislature in 1852, and the first meeting was held 

 at the Council Chamber, Boston, July 22 of the same year, 

 being presided over by His Excellency George S. Boutwell. 



The first movement on the part of Massachusetts in mod- 

 ern agricultural progress was the appointment of Henry 

 Colraan as State commissioner, in 1836, for the agricultu- 

 ral survey of the State, and he prepared three excellent 

 volumes on the agriculture of Massachusetts, counties of 

 Essex, Berkshire, Franklin and Middlesex, and one volume 

 on wheat and silk. However, this work was regarded by 

 the Legislature of so little importance that it was suspended 

 in the year 1840. 



In 1850 the Legislature created a board of commissioners 

 to report at the next session upon the expediency of estab- 

 lishing agricultural schools or colleges. This commission 

 consisted of Marshall P. Wilder, Edward Hitchcock, Samuel 

 A. Eliot, Thomas E. Pa3'^son and Eli Warren, and their 

 report was made to the Legislature at its session in 1851. 

 In this report it was recommended that a State department 

 of agriculture be established, to consist of one member 

 from, and to be elected by, each of the incorporated agricult- 

 ural societies receiving the bounty of the State. 



The preliminary efforts for the establishment of the State 

 Board of Agriculture emanated from a meeting of the trus- 

 tees of the Norfolk Agricultural Society, held Jan. 28, 1851. 

 It was there voted that "the president and secretaries be a 

 committee to mature and adopt a plan for a convention of 

 deleo^ates from the various ao-ricultural societies of the Com- 

 monwealth, to be holden at some convenient time and place, 

 the object of which shall be to concert measures for their 

 mutual advantage, and for the promotion of the cause of 

 agricultural education." 



This convention assembled at the State House, in Boston, 

 March 20, 1851. The attendance was large and the session 

 lasted for several days. 



As a result the joint committee on agriculture of the Leg- 



