^ 1 N r 11 O D U C T li Y . 



intelligent farmers should labor to remove the prejudices 

 of those who have no faith in agricultural exhibitions. 



Mr. Leander Wetherell^ of the Boston Courier, then 

 spoke in flattering terms of the display of fruit, and 

 urged attention to the importance of the agricultural 

 press, and the necessity of an intelligent consideration 

 of its recommendations. After which the premiums 

 and gratuities awarded by the several committees were 

 announced by the President. These exercises in the 

 Hall^ as also those on Thursday evening in the Upper 

 Hall, were interspersed with a variety of songs from a 

 quartette club under the leadership of R. R,. Safford. 



It will be seen by an accompanying table that the 

 amount of premiums and gratuities paid during the 

 past year was less than that of the year next previous. 

 This is accounted for in part by the fact that several 

 individuals to whom premiums were awarded, generously 

 allowed the funds to which they were thus entitled, to 

 remain in the treasury of the society as a modest dona- 

 tion from them, and partly because that in several depart- 

 ments, as for instance those of Experiments, Gardens, 

 Essays and Mechanics, there either were no entries at 

 all, or not enough to enable the committees to award 

 all the premiums offered. The premiums in these 

 departments alone, for w^hicli there was no competition, 

 amount to more than the deficiency in the entire sum 

 disbursed. 



The list of premiums in these departments has been 

 carefully revised and enlarged, and it is hoped that the 

 entries for 1860 nuiy be such as to enable the commit- 

 tees to award judiciously a larger proportion of the 

 premiums oilercd. 



