4 SECRETARY S REPORT. 



Three farmers' institutes have been held during the year. 

 The first one in Board of Trade Hall, in February. The subject 

 was the then interesting subject of "The Silo and Ensilage.'" 

 The meeting was opened by Edmund Hersey of Hingham, who 

 gave a very able and interesting description of the building of 

 silos and the feeding of ensilage, and cited many cases where it 

 had been successfully cured and kept and shown good results 

 in feeding. 



He was followed by Mr. E. P. Works of Fitchburg, who 

 had built a silo and put up a quantity of ensilage, and he too 

 pronounced it a success. Both gentlemen exhibited samples of 

 the ensilage. ' The meeting was a very interesting one, and was 

 well attended by the farmers. 



The other institutes were held as field meetings, one at the 

 farm of C. C. Boyden at Leominster and the other at Ashburn- 

 ham. Both were^ well attended and ver}^ interesting meetings. 



The farmers' supper held in February last was one of the 

 most successful ever held, although the night was stormy and 

 the travelling bad. A large company Ji//ed City Hall and the 

 tables were surrounded three times. The net receipts were very 

 large, over $300. The supper was under the management and 

 direction of Mr. Geo. B. Knowlton and great credit is due to 

 him for the excellent supper and the large net gain to the 

 Society. 



During the winter of 1880-1, a course of entertainments 

 was gotten up by the President, L. J. Brown, comprising lecture, 

 concert and dramatic entertainment, and thereby netted a good 

 sum for the society. 



There is a project now under way in the hands of a com- 

 mittee to devise ways and means to raise the debt of our society, 

 which if accomplished will add much to the interest of the com- 

 munity in the future of "Worcester North." 



W. G. HAYES, Secrrfarj. 



