18 



HON. EDWARD L. KEYES. These resolutions, it may have occurrei 

 the gentlemen who have seen the report of the late commission, are 

 "based on that report. This resolution is but one of their recommendatii 

 It is, simply, that a State department of agriculture should be establisl 

 Of course, the details are to be in accordance with the purposes and obj 

 of the department. The department of the militia has its Adjutant-Gem 

 and its arsenal. The educational department has a Board of Educat 

 and Secretary, and agents. It is proposed that this department of agri 

 culture shall have a Board, and a Secretary, who shall lecture, collect 

 tistics in relation to agriculture, make digests of the reports, and pub 

 such facts and statistics as will be necessary to promote the welfare of a 

 culture. This resolution simply acknowledges the principle. The del 

 are to be arranged, provided the principle is adopted, by persons hav 

 charge of that matter. 



SPEECH OF J. H. W. PAGE, ESQ., PRESIDENT OF THE BRIS1 

 COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



MR. PRESIDENT 



When the resolutions were prepared, I think that this one had a dii 

 ent order from that which it now holds. It probably depended, when ad< 

 ed, somewhat upon some resolutions which are now placed last in order 

 consideration. But as it does not seem to be clearly understood, I 

 leave to explain what I understand it to mean. Perhaps there is no o 

 person who understands it as I do. The views which I throw out wil 

 crude ones, and may pass for what they are worth. 



The report of the agricultural commission has not fallen into the he 

 of many gentlemen in the remote part of the State. How fully it has b 

 understood in this part of the Commonwealth, I am unable to say. B 

 beg leave to read a section to which this resolution has reference. The 

 tion refers to a plan for the promotion of agricultural education, that | 

 before it, but will be sufficiently intelligible by itself. 



Section third is as follows : " The undersigned recommend the es 

 lishment of a State department of agriculture, to consist of a Board of C 

 missioners and a Secretary, whom they shall annually appoint, which B< 

 shall sustain a similar relation to agriculture and the schools connected ' 

 it, as the Board and Secretary of Education do to primary schools." 



This recommendation of the Commissioners, sir, as I said before, 

 reference to a previous recommendation of theirs for the establishment o 

 agricultural college or a system of agricultural schools. And a part of 

 recommendations in this section would presuppose the existence of sue! 

 institutions, and a part of the duties would be dependent on such existe 

 But, sir, it occurs to me, that whether an agricultural college or an agri 

 tural school of any class shall or shall not be established, there is ms 

 worthy of consideration presented by this resolve. A large class of dt 

 are assigned to that Secretary, which might well be performed, and to 



