No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. xvii 



which toured the States of Massachusetts, New Hampshire 

 and Vermont, consisted of an engine and four passenger 

 coaches, furnished by the Boston & Maine Raih'oad without 

 expense to any of the organizations interested for either tlie 

 train or the train crew. Three of tliese cars were fitted up 

 with exhibits illustrative of new and improved methods in 

 agriculture, furnished mainly l)y the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College and the Hatch Experiment Station. One car 

 was devoted to "Farm crops and fertilizers," another to 

 " Animal husbandry and dairying," and the third to " Hor- 

 ticulture and insect pests." Each car bore a large sign on 

 its sides, showing what it contained, and the fourth car, used 

 mainly for purposes of conveyance for speakers and others, 

 was labelled "Better fiirming special train." This train 

 started from Amherst on the afternoon of April 3, after a 

 trial lecture to a large crowd assembled at that station, and 

 for the four succeeding days toured the various divisions of 

 the Boston & Maine system, beginning at Mount Hermon 

 on the morning of the 4th and finishing at Haverhill on the 

 afternoon of the 7th. Great interest was everywhere shown 

 in the project and in the exhibits and talks and explanations 

 by the members of the college and station staffs who accom- 

 panied the train. The usual i)rocedure when the train arrived 

 at a station was for your secretary to make a brief announce- 

 ment of the purposes of the train and the contents of the 

 various cars, and advising the crowd to break up and enter 

 the cars, where the matters in which they individually felt the 

 most interest were to be seen. About forty minutes were 

 then devoted to explanations and running lectures in the 

 various cars, and then the train would be emptied and move 

 on to the next stop. 



Altogether, the project was a great success, and I trust 

 that it may be continued for another year at least. This 

 Board was unable to lend as much financial assistance to the 

 train as we could have wished, owing to urgent calls in other 

 directions. If we can secure an increase in the appropriation 

 for " dissemination," a portion of that increase may well be 

 devoted to this very laudable object. 



