20 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pul). Doc. 



eral years ago William Mason laid the foundation in this city 

 for one of the greatest locomotive esta})lishments in this 

 country. Albert Field began here the manufacture of tacks 

 on a small scale, building up a business which in that line 

 was second to none in the world. Notwithstanding the fact 

 that Taunton is a manufacturing city, it is what I call the 

 basis of supplies for this section of the country, north, east, 

 south and west, whose inhabitants are particularly interested 

 in all that pertains to agriculture. Beside, we have the Bris- 

 tol County Agricultural Society, which is represented on your 

 Board by my friend Mr. Shaw, and it holds its annual fair in 

 this city from year to year. 



So far as the city of Taunton is concerned, manufacturing 

 and agriculture go together, and any Board or agent of agri- 

 culture who honors us with their presence is bound to receive 

 a hearty welcome from the citizens of Taunton. It therefore, 

 gentlemen, as mayor of the city of Taunton and in behalf of 

 its citizens, gives me great pleasure to welcome you here 

 to-day, and I sincerely hope that your time may be profitably 

 spent, that you will enjoy yourselves and that your meetings 

 will be instructive. In looking over your programme of the 

 exercises I felt as though I ought to congratulate the citizens 

 of Taunton upon having an opportunity to receive such excel- 

 lent instruction. They probably will attend your meetings. 

 Once again, gentlemen, I welcome you in behalf of the city. 



Song by quartette. 



The Chairman. The Board will respond to the welcome 

 through the second vice-president, Mr. Wood of West 

 Newton. 



Mr. E. W. Wood. Mr. Chairman, in behalf of the mem- 

 bers of the Board I desire to thank His Honor the mayor and 

 the vice-president of the Bristol County Agricultural Societ\^ 

 for this most cordial welcome. It has been since 1863 the 

 practice of the Board of Agriculture to hold a public winter 

 meeting; at the annual meeting in January we select a place 

 of meeting, and at the same time select a committee from 

 members of the Board living near the locality where the meet- 

 ing is held to arrange a programme of exercises for such 

 meeting. That committee, with the secretary of the Board, 

 meet and select such subjects as seem most desirable for the 



