129 



It was an elaborate and valuable treatise, and came un- 

 der the notice of Marshall P. Wilder (the first President 

 of the State Board), who immediately made up his mind 

 that Mr. Flint was the man wanted for the position of 

 secretary of the State Board, and he was secured just as he 

 was about to go into a New York lawyer's office. 



Mr. ^lint held the office of secretary for twenty-seven 

 years and in the meantime was the author of several books 

 which have since become recognized authority. 



A voluntary Board of Agriculture was formed in 1851 

 and Allen W. Dodge, of Essex County, was first Vice 

 President. The following spring, the i^egular State Board 

 was established by the Legislature. 



In 1860, the secretary of the State Board called atten- 

 tion to the importation of pleuro-pneumonia in a herd of 

 Holsteins. The disease spread very rapidly and a special 

 session of the Legislature was called, and it cost the State 

 $37,000 and six years hard work before it was stamped 

 out. The State Board was in a measure the father of the 

 New England Society, which was founded in 1863. 



In 1879, the Board voted to require each Agricultural 

 Society to hold at least three institutes a year in order to 

 secure the State Bounty; these institutes though small at 

 first, have since increased in importance and have been of 

 great importance to the farmers. 



In 1880, the Agricultural Colle;ge was in ill repute, and 

 was losing some $10,000 annually. The State Board suc- 

 ceeded in securing $33,000 from the State to clear off the 

 debt. In 1878, through the influence of the State Board, 

 a state inspector of commercial fertilizers was appointed. 

 Every manufacturer of fertilizers was obliged to take out 

 a license, and the regulations were copied by other states. 

 The market value of all fertilizers was put down at the 

 value of the plant foods in the fertilizer, by law. 



The line of business of the State Board has been educa- 

 tional, and here the speaker read a list of titles of agricul- 

 tural treatises brought out by the Board. A discussion 



