Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-12-12
Winter Meeting of the Massachusetts
Board of Agriculture.

Winter Meeting OF the Massachusetts
Board of Agriculture.
We give below report Of this meeting
held in Mechanics Hall in Lowell, Dec
emher 18th to 9th, inclusive In point o
Attendance it did not come up to our ex
pectaliuns the number at no time we
should Judge exceeding two hundred, anG
at some OF the meetings less than one hun
Dire. persons. Our local meetings of the
boa II agriculture compare most favor
ably m numbers and interest with this.
There ARE some prominent points Of
Il tlel ence noticeable in the two meetings.
In looking about over the audience the
M. ority of the heads are white, the atten
dance old men, very few young ones, and
at 10 time did we see more than four or
five women in The hall. Another differ
rnce is a general well-to do air about he
assembly. Their clothes seem of later
fashion, aud worn more as if they had
every day use, than one sees in Vermont
meetings, and the idea somehow that they
had less intimate acquaintance with the
pIow and shov.l the milk pail and dung
fork than the average audience one meets
in Vermont.
While some seem to show more amil
iarity and experience in addressing such
IN assembly, we do not observe that the
Intelligence or interest shown needs to
make us ashamed. Another thing we note
is the greater readiness to give applause
when they approve of the speakers u.rer
ances. This encourages the speaker, and
puts the speaker and audience more in
sympathy. Vermont audiences seldom
express decided approval by applause, and
are sometimes perhaps open to the charge
of being cold and unsympathetic, but we
think them so only in form and not in fact
The meeting was called to order at 10
o'clock A. NJ, j. b. Moore in the chair.
who introduced A, G. Varnum, of Lowell,
who delivered the opening address, in
which he gave sketch of the history OF
Lowell from the time it was IA part OF
Chelmsford, and the hunting grounds Of
the Indians, down to the present time.
His remarks were illustrated with many
views from stereoptcan which added |
much to the interest Of this paper. Mayor
Donovan gave n brief welcome Of the |
board and the attendants 10 the city, when
the meeting adjourned for dinner.
AFTERNOON.
The first speaker was d. Z. Salmon
veterinary surgeon of the United States
department of agriculture, who cane by
special request of the board and by
of DR. Lorln. 10 attend the
meeting. He treated on contagious and
Infectious diseases 90 which men and
ANIMALS were subject, remarking that
mere were many impenetrabIe mysteries
with them, and not the least
lmong these is the well known fact tbar
n attack of them protects the suhipc ,
rom any subsequent attack. If fow
as had an attack of fowl cholera it resis. {
be disease even when placed in the mos | t
Infected districts and fed IF the flock OF |
lrds which have died with the disease A
nd the most concentrated virus may b, t
llroduced INFO the tissues without pro f
uclng the least apparent results. Dr i
tllnon recommended vaccination IN all Il
us class OF diseases. for plru,o pptumu I
Ia In cattle, stating that the inorula>ion II
the end OF the tan, producing loc,t "
Yelling which entirely disappears IN "a b
W weeks, is a still C mpIete prevpntIv. 4
ON any future at ack of he diset,e 4
j. u Greenough, the president # thr I
massachusetts, Agricultural College. WI, re
e mex speaker, who rem ,Ilcd IN open b
= that it was the brain back Of the hano T..
hlch led to man success in gaining u
velihood. tie described the course :,
acessary for Il student who desired toll b
tier the college, which would take from h
Vo to tour years, then fuu years in CT
,llege, then from one to four wears in it
oplying the business he has chosen. He W
'ouled the idea that all who graduated d
ON the college became farmers, but the II
purse furnished an cduca.ion suitable to, IA
~ ctlliGg The main Object OF the W
ollege was to form Il man morally and Fl
Intellectually, and the highest knowledge IL
as the knowledge of God, and To hi,
nd the student was taught to study fc
ature. He described the courses OF sud, fe
nd said that the college was designed 10
the peoples college and open to all fe
After be closed some further discussion IL
as had on the subject of contagious h
seases, when the meeting tdjourned al
EVENING SESSION. h
This session was taken by Dr. James II
Nichols with lecture, Sunshine on the lie
arm. aiming to show the agency of CO
nshne in growing crop, on the farm, CO
1t as 1t was not quite clear 10 Us that be n
as perfectly sure of all the processes of IL
ature in this respect, and moreover AS he b
id not inform the farmers how thew p
)uld regulate the amount and intensity II
the article in question, SUNSHINE, we 6
ere not strongly impressed Win the II
'actical value of the lecture. He did
mark however that the hay in the barn Il
as only another form of summer sun. al
inc and that cows should have warm Ia
alter to drink in winter, and that it was II
that Il COW drinking three
IIlOns of cold water in "A hours would
'crease the milk six per cent. DR., a,
ehols' was Il pleasant talk and some j
CHI seem to be- well received at such G.
ceilings, though they have little practical Ii
airing on the topics on which farmers a
ed more light and knowledge. tn
WEDNESDAY MORNING SESSION. re
A. Z Shade, E,q, Of Worcester presided, dc
Il the first on the programme was u Il
per by John w. Pierce of West Middle. IA
ry on Experiments with Fertilizers. br
Mr.. Pierce in opening disclaimed all ia