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SECRETARY'S RETORT. 



"Gsneral Liws, Chapter 180. An Act concerning Agricultural 

 Societies. Bs it enacted, fyc, as follows : 



Sec. 1. The premiums offered by any Agricultural Society receiving 

 bounty from the Treasury of the Commonwealth under the provisions 

 of the 66th Chapter of the General Statutes, shall be subject to the 

 competition of every citizen of the County in which such Society is 

 established. And every such Society shall admit as members, upon 

 equal terms, citizens of every town in the County in which the same is 

 located. (Approved April 10, 1861. "J 



It will be seen by the preceding acts that the Soci- 

 ety not only has the right, but is positively required 

 to " admit as members, upon equal terms, citizens of every 

 town in the County? and is " authorized to admit mem- 

 bers from the towns in the West part of Middlesex 

 County? thus extending our limits beyond, even those 

 of the original Worcester County Society. And the 

 question recurs with force, would it not be wise for the 

 Society to adopt, and pursue a policy correspending in 

 liberality and extent with its real, rather than its sup- 

 posed limits ? If so, then efforts should be constantly 

 made to obtain new life members, not only from Fitch- 

 burg, and its immediate vicinity, but also from the more 

 remote towns of the county, and from Middlesex county, 

 and any reasonable inducements offered to such citizens 

 to join the Society and help on its exhibitions, should 

 not be discouraged. There is room enough for all who 

 will, to labor together, and labor effectually, and to 

 continue their united labors for many years, before the 

 agricultural, and horticultural, and mechanical interests 

 of these two counties will have attained such a degree 

 of sup3riority as to require no farther efforts in their 

 behalf. 



To get up a really good agricultural exhibition, in 

 these times, when cattle shows have become an old story, 

 and when the public interest in them is supposed to be 

 on the decline, and to prepare and publish even a 



