No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. xxv 



4, 1894, an account of which will l)e found })rintecl on pages 

 9-10. The annual meeting of the Board for the transaction 

 of business was held at the office of the secretary, Feb. 5, G 

 and 7, 1895, and the minutes thereof, reports adopted and 

 essays read will be found printed on pages 307-338 of. this 

 volume. 



Changes ix tpie Boaed. 



During the past year the following gentlemen retired 

 from the Board because of the expiration of their terms 

 of service : AVm. H. Bowker of the Worcester North-west 

 Society, after six years of service; J. C. Newhall of the 

 Franklin County Society, after six years of service ; L. W. 

 West of the Hampshire Society, after three years of service ; 

 John E. Kiml)all of the Oxford Societv, after three vears 

 of service ; Edward Warren of the Spencer Farmers' and 

 Mechanics' Association, after three years of service ; and 

 G. C. Rowley of the Union Society, after three years of 

 sendee. 



Cattle Commissioxers. 



Section 51 of chapter 491 of the Acts of 1894 provides 

 that an abstract of the report of the Board of Cattle Com- 

 missioners to the Legislature shall be printed in the annual 

 report of the State Board of Agriculture. The annual re- 

 ports of the State Cattle Commission have been included in 

 the annual reports of the secretary of the Board of Agricult- 

 ure since the establishment of the commission, the first 

 report appearing in the "Agriculture of Massachusetts" for 

 18G0. There have been but two exceptions. For some 

 unknown cause the report is missing from the annual volume 

 for the years 1861 and 1883. 



Heretofore the report of the commission has been a legis- 

 lative document, and of small size. The report for 1894 is 

 much larger, and has been made Public Document, No. 51. 

 The report projier occupies 109 pages, and is subdivided into 

 the foUowins: heads : g-eneral account of leoislation and the 

 work of the Board in 1894 : work at Brighton, Somerville 

 and Watertown ; tuberculosis, prevalence, danger to public 



