No. 4.] ADDRESS OF MAYOR FISH. 19 



We naturally think we have a beautiful city, and we hope 

 you will think so before you leave it. I could go on and tell 

 you about our Board of Trade, our public buildings and our 

 skilled mechanics, but that is not what I am here for. I am 

 here to impress your minds that Bristol County is quite a 

 county ; that we have three large cities and many flourishing 

 towns ; that all the people in these cities and towns belong 

 to the Bristol County Agricultural Society ; that we have 

 among our number some bright, successful farmers ; that 

 Dighton, Swanzey and other towns of the county shipped 

 more strawberries to Boston than all the other counties of the 

 State ; and that all our farmers are here or will be here to try 

 and learn from your honorable body something that will make 

 them more successful in their pursuits. 



I certainly hope your stay among us will be very pleasant, 

 and that when you leave us you will wish your stay could 

 have been longer. 



The Chairman. It has been said that it is always all hard 

 work on a farm ; that it is all prose and no poetry ; but I 

 wish to say to 3'ou that we have some poetry for this meet- 

 ing, and I will introduce to you the poet of the occasion, 

 Henry D. Atwood of Taunton. 



Poem read by Mr. Atwood. 



The Chairman. We have listened to the poetry of farm- 

 ing, and now we will listen to the wisdom of Taunton. I 

 have the pleasure of introducing to you Hon. Nathaniel 

 J. W. Fish, mayor of Taunton. 



Mayor Fish. Mr. President, members of the State Board 

 of Agriculture, ladies and gentlemen : It gives me great 

 pleasure to welcome here to-day the State Board of Agri- 

 culture, which was established, as I understand it, by legis- 

 lative enactment in 1852. It is this Board that has done so 

 much to advance the interests of the agricultural communi- 

 ties in the State of Massachusetts. I desire at this time to 

 express regret, for I understand that His Excellency the 

 Governor is your president, that he is unavoidably absent 

 and could not be present here to-day. 



The city of Taunton may well be called a manufacturing 

 city. We have cotton mills, tack shops, stove foundries and 

 a variety of other industries too numerous to mention. Sev- 



