34 BOARD OF AGRICULTUEE. [Pub. Doc. 



I believe in every agricultural organization ; I believe 

 there is a work for them to do. 



I believe the grange offers the best opportunities of any 

 organization in the land. Why? Because it starts in the 

 home ; it brings to our wives and our children the same 

 advantages and the same opportunities that it brings to the 

 fathers, which is certainly doing away with the social and 

 educational barrier that did exist and does exist in many 

 farm homes to-day. We believe the social branch is doing 

 a great work. It is bringing back the social position of 

 the farmer where it was years ago, — the highest position 

 in the land. We believe the educational advantages are 

 making better men and women, better business men, better 

 in every way to carry on the different walks of life. 



I can hardly stop when I begin to talk of what the grange 

 can do. I again welcome the Board of Agriculture, trust- 

 ing that your meetings will be pleasant, and that the inspi- 

 ration that goes out will lighten the burden of many farmers 

 in this community. 



The Chairman. The Massachusetts Board of Agriculture 

 has representatives from all parts of the State, and the 

 gentleman who is to reply to this address of welcome is 

 from Cape Cod. You will see when he appears before you 

 that Cape Cod can raise a likely specimen of a man, if it 

 does not raise great crops of corn. Mr. Bursley, delegate 

 from the Barnstable County Agricultural Society. 



Mr. Bursley. As you have seen in the last hour, farm- 

 ers love to talk ; but, as well as liking to talk, they like to 

 get pretty near the dinner table some time between twelve 

 and one o'clock, and it is not my purpose to keep the form- 

 ers here. I know nothing but an interest in agriculture 

 would have brought out a hundred people to the opening 

 meeting of the Board of Agriculture. Therefore, I will 

 simply thank you, as a representative of my own subordi- 

 nate grange, the Old Colony Pomona Grange. I l)elieve 

 the day is not far distant when to be a patron will be con- 

 sidered a necessity for a man to be a member of the Board 

 of Agriculture. The last appointment by His Excellency 

 the Governor was in strong recognition of that fact, when 

 he appointed our worthy master to our Board. I believe 



