No. 4.] RESPONSE FOR THE BOARD. 5 



RESPONSE FOR THE BOARD, BY SECRETARY 

 ELLSWORTH. 



Much to my regret, Vice-President Biirsley is unable to 

 be here and take this part in the programme, but I want to 

 thank the mayor, on behalf of the Board, for his cordial wel- 

 come. Among the many duties and undertakings of the 

 Board, which include its publications, its institute work and 

 its large correspondence, are these annual meetings, which 

 are held in various parts of the State. This is the third such 

 meeting to be held in Northampton. The first was held in 

 1882, when Hon. John E. Russell was secretary of the 

 Board, and at that meeting, among other subjects discussed, 

 were those of milk and tobacco. The tobacco question was 

 discussed then for the first time, and since then we have 

 always recognized that industry when we have met anywhere 

 in the Connecticut valley. I believe that the milk question 

 has been discussed, in some form, at every meeting we have 

 held, as the dairy industry is our great industry, and the 

 product the one indispensable article of food. The second 

 meeting held here at Northampton was in 1891, w^hen Mr. 

 Stockwell, my immediate predecessor, was secretary of the 

 Board. At that time Booker Washing-ton was one of the 

 speakers, and the attendance at the session which he ad- 

 dressed set a record for these meetings. 



This beautiful valley, to Avhich Mayor Coolidgc re- 

 f(M"rod, is, without doubt, the most fertile section of Massa- 

 chusetts. While we have several other valleys in ]\fassa- 

 chusctts, there are none quite equal to the Connecticut valley 

 in extent, in fertility or in the beautiful farms which it con- 

 tains. Your farms here are wonderful for tobacco, onions, 

 corn, appl'es, and, in fact, anything that will grow outdoors 

 in this climate. I do not want to get started on the apple 

 questidu, but few people have realized what we can d*i in 

 apple raising here in New Englaud. in ]\rassachusetts espe- 

 cially. One of our mend)ers, "Afr. Fn'derick A. Russell of 

 Mcthneu, in the orchard contest under the auspices ef tliis 

 Board, reported a Gravenstein tree on which he grew $5G 



