1871] 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



537 



NEW KAMPSHIHE BOARD OF AGRI- 

 CUiTUBE. 



HROUGH polite attentions of 

 Hon. Moses Humphrey, Pres- 

 ident of the Board, we have 

 before us the First Annual Eeport 

 . of the Board erf Agriculture for 

 the State of New Hampshire. It 

 is a handsome voUnne of 360 pages, 

 from the press of the State Printer, 

 Or REN C. Moore. The ilUistrations of the 

 vohirae are, the new Culver Hall, just dedi- 

 cated ; a Map of the Agricultural College 

 Farm ; some fine engravings of Horses, Cattle 

 of various breeds. Sheep, Swine, Poultry, 

 and model houses for the last two. The only 

 engraving in the way of farm implements is the 

 Webster Plough, made and used by Daniel 

 Webster, and now in the Museum of the 

 Agricultural College, at Hanover. Its length 

 is thirteen feet ; beam, nine feet one inch ; 

 handles, six feet four inches ; distance be- 

 tween handles, two feet ten inches ; width of 

 mould-board, twenty inches ; width of share 

 sixteen inches. 



• The Secretary of the Board, who has com- 

 piled the transactions, gives a rapid history of 

 the progress of agriculture in the State from 

 the time when its rural interests were repre- 

 sented by the pine tree, and when the pursuits 

 of the people were mainly fishing upon the 

 limited sea coast and in the fresh lakes and 

 streams, and hunting the fur bearing and 

 other animals of the forest. Then a ship 

 upon the stocks was adopted as the emblem 

 of industry, and was incorporated into the 

 seal of the State. Thi-ift and prosperity suc- 

 ceeded. Roads were cut through forests over 

 which 



"Trees, fit for the the masts 

 Of some great admiral," 



were drawn to river landings to be floated to 

 the ocean. This led to inland settlements. 

 Cattle were bred, cereals and vegetables cul- 

 tivated, and the plough and hoe became in- 

 dustrial emblems. Horses supplemented the 

 ox. Teams increased and traversed the State 

 from inland towns to county shires, to villages 

 on river banks, or to the only seaport the 

 State offered. The Secretary then adds : — 



"Until this period in the history of New Hamp- 

 shire agriculture, no wheels had been turned by 

 our frequout waterftills, nor had their monotonoiis 

 murmur been relieved by the music of the spindle 

 or the ring of the hammer. But at length the 

 spirit of enterprise, prouipted by the desire of gain. 



converted the wilderness, the rocky hill-side and 

 the barren jilain about our water-pov.cis on the 

 Merrimack, the Nashua, the CocHeco, the Ashuelot 

 and other rapid streams, into sites of busy towns 

 and thriving cities. The construction uf "railways 

 followed, or was simultaneous with the erection "of 

 mills and machine shops, and both of these agencies 

 operated to open new markets to the husbandman, 

 to create new fields of rural labor and to bring a 

 profit to the tiller of the soil. Market gardening, 

 the growing of fruit, the raising of milk, the breed- 

 ing of improved stock, are some of the sources of 

 income to the farmer, which have sprung into life 

 at the call of the progressive spirit of the age." 



In speaking of the organized agricultural 

 associations of the State, the first of which 

 there is any reliable account, originated as 

 early as 1814, its central point behig at the 

 then important town of Chester, or at Exeter, 

 in Rockingham County. In 1817 societies 

 were formed in Cheshire, Hillsborough and 

 Strafford Counties ; in Grafton and Coos in 

 1819-20. The first grant by the Legislature 

 was 8100 to each of the incorporated societies 

 of Rockingham and Cheshire. The following 

 year $300 to the same, and $200 to the Hills- 

 borough, Straiford and Grafton, provided 

 they should organize before the meeting of 

 the next Legislature. Other appropriations 

 were made, under certain conditions, but up 

 to the year 1820, only about $3000 had been 

 expended for the promotion of agriculture by 

 the State. 



In 1820, in accordance with the recommen- 

 dation of Gov. Bell, of Chester, a State 

 Board of Agriculture was created. A report 

 from this Board was made and printed in 

 1822, but no copy of it can now be found. 

 In the year 1870, after the lapse of half a 

 century, a new board was organized, and now 

 consists of the following members : — 



Merriinack County. — Moses Humphrey, of Con- 

 cord. 



Belknap County. — Thomas Coggswell, of Gil- 

 manton. 



Hillsborough County. — James O. Adams, of 

 Manchester. 



Cheshire County. — Sampson W. Buffum, of Win- 

 chester. 



Carroll County. — W. H. H. Mason, of Moulton- 

 borongh. 



Grafton County. — Luther B. Haskins, of Lyme. 



Strafford County. — H. R. Roberts, of llollinsford. 



Kockingham County. — Joseph F. Lawrence, of 

 Epping. 



Coos L ounty. — Nathan R. Perkins, of Jefferson. ' 



Sullivan County. — John S. Walker, of Claremont. 



The first meeting of the Board took place 

 at Concord, Aug., 23, 1870, and organized 

 by the choice of Hon. Moses Humphrey, of 

 Concord, as President, and James O. Adams, 

 Esq., of Manchester, as Secretary. A gen- 

 eral discussion of the objects of the Board 



