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islature reported a bill for the creation of a board of agri- 

 culture, but the further consideration of the subject, after 

 much debate, was referred to the next Legislature. 



This being a new measure, its possible failure was appre- 

 hended, and it was deemed expedient to establish a Central 

 Board of Agriculture, whose duties should be substantially 

 those which were proposed for a State department, and at 

 the above-mentioned convention this was done. 



Its board of ofhcers were Marshall P. Wilder, President ; 

 Henry W. Cushman and John W. Lincoln, Vice-Presidents ; 

 Allen W. Dodge, Corresponding Secretary ; Edgar Whita- 

 ker, Recording Secretary, with three delegates from each 

 incorporated society receiving the bounty of the Common- 

 wealth. 



At a meeting of this Board, Jan. 14, 1852, it was resolved 

 to petition the Legislature in the following resolution : — 



Resolved, That inasmuch as agriculture is the chief 

 occupation of her citizens, the Commonwealth, in the organ- 

 ization of its government, should be provided with a 

 department of agriculture, with offices commensurate with 

 the importance of the duties to be discharged and the 

 labors to be performed. 



These various efforts finally culminated in the establish- 

 ment of the present State Department of Agriculture, which 

 succeeded the existing voluntary Central Board. 



The Act was passed in 1852, and at a meeting of the 

 newly created Board of Agriculture, Aug. 5, 1852, Rev. 

 Dr. Edward Hitchcock, President of Amherst College, was 

 unanimously elected secretary, but his duties in connection 

 with the college, and declining health, compelled him to 

 decline the appointment, and Jan. 25, 1853, Charles L. 

 Flint, a young lawyer just established in business in New 

 York, was elected and continued to hold the position until 

 his resignation was accepted Aug. 25, 1880. On that day 

 John E. Russell of Leicester was elected to succeed Mr. 

 Flint, and at this meeting it was voted that the secretary of 

 the Board be elected annually at the meeting in February, 

 the term of service to be for one year, beginning with the 

 first of July following the election. Mr. Russell continued 

 in office until his resignation in 1887. F. H. Appleton of 



