No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. xiii 



favorable, being very cold the first day and rainy on the 

 third, but nevertheless the attendance was a disappointment. 

 A pleasing feature of the meeting Avas a banquet arranged 

 by the Board of Trade. Governor Guild had promised to 

 be in attendance, but was obliged to cancel the engagement, 

 and Lieutenant-Governor Draper substituted as the guest of 

 honor, to the satisfaction of all. The lectures and discus- 

 sions of the meeting will be found printed elsewhere in this 

 volume. 



The annual business meeting of the Board was held at 

 Boston, Jan. 8 and 9, 1907, and special business meetings 

 were held at the summer and Avintei' meetings. The minutes 

 of these meetings, with reports of committees, will be in- 

 cluded in this volume. 



Agricultural Societies. 



The agricultural societies were for the most part favored 

 with pleasant weather for their annual exhibitions, with the 

 result that they Averc more successful financially than is often 

 the case, in some cases unusually so. The attendance, judg- 

 ing from the reports of the inspectors, seems to have been 

 large, and with the usual proportion of interest in the agri- 

 cultural side of the fairs. From an educational standpoint 

 the quality of the exhibits seems to l)e steadily improving. 

 One society, the Middlesex North Agricultural Society, held 

 no fair during the year, and in conse(j[uence loses its right to 

 bounty and to representation on the Board. This is to be 

 regretted, as it leaves the northern part of Middlesex Count}^ 

 the second county in the State in area and value of agricul- 

 tural products, Avithout a society holding exhibitions. We 

 trust that they Avill find a Avay out of their difficulties Avhich 

 Avill alloAv them to recommence operations. 



For the past three years I have recommended that the 

 societies establish sinking funds to tide them over years of 

 bad Aveather, and also give their premium lists a careful 

 overhauling, nor have I seen anything during the i)ast year 

 to weaken my conviction of the wisdom of the course. At 

 their fairs this year two of the largest agricultural societies 

 in the State cut doAvn the number of breeds of cattle to 



