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the ocean, and formerly took large quantities of menhaden 

 for the fertilizing of his land. Now there are none come 

 there except in small quantities, and those at a distance. 

 He believed that the wholesale seining of them had killed 

 them off, or driven them away. 



Mr. Gregory said that cod, hake and haddock are disap- 

 pearing rapidly from our shores. They are much dearer 

 than formerly, though he agreed with a statement advanced 

 by Mr. Bowker that a larger population and vastly increased 

 methods of transportation had increased the demand and 

 thus made them dearer. But he believed the price had in- 

 creased out of proportion to the population. 



There were other remarks by Mr. Andrews, Mr. 

 Hawkes, Aaron Low and others, and at 4 o'clock the meet- 

 ing adjourned. 



The 84th Institute was held at Beverly, Friday, Feb. 26, 

 1892. President Appleton occupied the chair, and after a 

 few brief remarks he invited the Rev. Mr. Butler of 

 Beverly to make some remarks, which he did in a humor- 

 ous strain. Among other things he said it was one of his 

 greatest enjoyments to tramp across the fields with his dog 

 and gun, and in doing so he had fallen in with and made 

 the acquaintance of very many farmers, whom he num- 

 bered among his plcasantest friends. He also spoke of his 

 being brought up on a farm and his father, who is well ad- 

 vanced in years, but still an active farmer. 



President Appleton next introduced the speaker of the 

 morning, who was not any stranger to the farmers of Essex 

 County, Hon. John E. Russell of Leicester, whose subject 

 was "Sheep Husbandry." 



Mr. Russell, in opening, spoke of his first appearance be- 

 fore this Institute and of his former position as Secretary 

 of the State Board of Agriculture. If he had held the office 

 for five years he said he should have considered his mission 

 a failure if the number of sheep kept in Massachusetts had 

 not been doubled, but he was, however, still pursuing his 



