September; that the time of holding the fair of the Marshfield Agricultural and Horticultural Society be changed from the second Wednesday after the first Monday in September to the first Wednesday after the first Monday in September; that the time of holding the fair of the Plymouth County Agricultural Society be changed from the first Thursday after the first Monday in September to the second Wednesday after the first Monday in September; and that the time of holding the fair of the Weymouth Agricultural and Industrial Society be changed from the fourth Thursday after the first Monday in September to the third Thursday after the first Monday in September. The report was accepted and adopted.

The committee on agricultural societies, by Mr. Kilbourn, chairman, reported the following assignment of inspectors:

Amesbury and Salisbury, at Amesbury, Septem

ber 29, 30 and October 1,

Barnstable County, at Barnstable, September 15, 16 and 17, .

Berkshire, at Pittsfield, September 15, 16 and 17, Blackstone Valley, at Uxbridge, September 29 and 30,

Bristol County, at Taunton, September 22, 23 and 24,

Deerfield Valley, at Charlemont, September 17 and 18,

Eastern Hampden, at Palmer, September 22 and 23,

Essex, at Peabody, September 22, 23 and 24, Franklin County, at Greenfield, September 24 and 25,

C. M. BLAIR.

C. K. BREWSTER.

J. S. GRINNELL.

S. S. STETSON.

F. E. CLARK.

C. B. LYMAN.

J. H. BOURNE.

N. W. SHAW.

ISAAC DAMON.

H. A. COOK.

Hampden, at Westfield, September 24 and 25,
Hampshire, at Amherst, September 29 and 30,
Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden, at North-
ampton, October 7 and 8,.

Highland, at Middlefield, September 9 and 10,
Hillside, at Cummington, September 29 and 30,
Hingham, at Hingham, September 29 and 30,
Hoosac Valley, at North Adams, September 22,
23 and 24,.

Housatonic, at Great Barrington, September 30,
October 1 and 2,

W. P. BROOKS.

JOHN BURSLEY.

GEO. E. TAYLOR.

J. G. AVERY.

Marshfield, at Marshfield, September 9, 10 and 11, D. A. HORTON.
Martha's Vineyard, at West Tisbury, September

Middlesex North, at Lowell, September 17, 18

Middlesex South, at Framingham, September 15,
16 and 17,.

Nantucket, at Nantucket, September 2 and 3,
Oxford, at Oxford, September 22 and 23,
Plymouth County, at Bridgewater, September 16,
17 and 18,.

Spencer, at Spencer, September 24 and 25,
Union, at Blandford, September 16, 17 and 18,
Weymouth, at South Weymouth, September 24,
25 and 26, .

G. L. CLEMENCE.

GEO. CRUICKSHANKS.

EDMUND HERSEY.

W. M. TUCKER.

W. H. GOVE.

J. S. APPLETON, Jr.

.

Worcester, at Worcester, September 8, 9, 10 and 11,

Worcester East, at Lancaster, September 17 and 18,

F. W. SARGENT.

AUGUSTUS PRATT.

F. H. APPLETON.

F. H. SMITH.

S. M. RAYMOND.

Worcester North, at Fitchburg, September 22 and 23,

Worcester North-west, at Athol, October 6 and 7, Worcester South, at Sturbridge, September 17 and 18,

Worcester County West, at Barre,October 1 and 2,

The report was accepted and adopted.

H. G. NORTON.

W. M. WELLINGTON.

F. A. PALMER.
E. W. WOOD.

Voted, On motion of Mr. Wood, that the Board indorses the petition to the Legislature for protection and aid to peach culture, and the executive committee is instructed to aid before the committee on agriculture of the Legisla ture in procuring the enactment of a law for the above purpose.

Voted, On motion of Mr. Hersey, that the thanks of the Board be extended to First Vice-President GRINNELL for the able and pleasant manner in which he has performed the duties of presiding officer.

The records of the third day were read and approved. Adjourned at 12.05 P.M.

WILLIAM R. SESSIONS,

Secretary.

REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE BOARD
OF AGRICULTURE, ACTING AS OVERSEERS
OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULT-

URAL COLLEGE.

[P. S., Chap. 20, Sect. 5, adopted by the Board, Feb. 5, 1896.]

The committee on Agricultural College and education," appointed by this Board, having attended to its duty, begs leave to submit the following report:

The college is doing the work for which it was established in a manner that meets with the approbation of its friends and supporters and proves the wisdom of its founders. Under the immediate direction of its president, Henry H. Goodell, assisted by an efficient corps of teachers, it takes rank (in the opinion of your committee) equal to that of any other institution of learning of the kind in this country. It is pleasant to be able to report that the needed, and we may also say the generous, appropriations made by the State from time to time for the benefit of the college have been by discreet and intelligent trustees properly expended for the various purposes for which they were given. The result has been continued and gratifying progress in every department of the institution. Good work was what your committee expected and looked for, and found, in its visits, both in the class rooms and on the farm.

In previous reports we have occasionally given a brief outline of the early history of the college; but, as our Board is constantly changing, it may be interesting to the young men, and to all perhaps who have not made the subject a special study, to refresh their memory in regard to some of the most important facts as to how we came by this college and what it has accomplished.

HISTORY.

In the year 1862, at the time when the great rebellion was in progress and apparently at its very height, the United States Congress found time to consider and pass a bill, principally under the leadership of Hon. Justin S. Morrill, Senator from Vermont, donating public lands to the several States which should provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts. The act provided that the amount of land apportioned to the several States should be in proportion to the population, and to be available it must be accepted by the Legislature of each State. It also provided that the land, or land scrip, might be sold and the money invested as a perpetual fund, the capital of which should remain forever undiminished, and the interest inviolably appropriated by each State which might take and claim the benefit of the act, "to the endowment, support and maintenance of at least one college, where the leading object should be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in such a manner as the Legislatures of the States may respectively prescribe, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of life.”

The act thus passed by Congress was signed and approved by Abraham Lincoln July 2, 1862. It is claimed that Massachusetts was the first to accept it, and also to pass an act of incorporation of the college. This being done, it was approved by John A. Andrew, governor, April 29, 1863. The corporation was organized Nov. 18, 1863, with Gov. John A. Andrew president, Allen W. Dodge vice-president and Charles L. Flint secretary. Trustees were appointed by the Legislature, who were authorized to locate the college. Several sites were viewed in different parts of the State. The towns of Lexington, Springfield, Northampton and Amherst each offered to secure, by valid subscriptions or otherwise, the sum of $75,000 for the purpose of erecting suitable buildings; and, after some time taken for deliber

ation, Amherst was selected. The college was opened for students Oct. 2, 1867, and forty-six young men were admitted as students before the close of the first term.

The Endowment Fund.

The Legislature, in accepting the grant of the United States, directed that all moneys received by virtue of this act should be immediately deposited with the treasurer of the Commonwealth, who should invest and hold the same, in accordance with the act of Congress, in perpetual fund. The amount received and invested by the treasurer was $219,000. In 1871 a legislative resolve added a further sum of $141,575.35 (see annual report of trustees, of January, 1893, page 43).

By law two-thirds of the income of these funds is paid to the treasurer of the college and one-third to the Institute of Technology. The Institute of Technology teaches of course those branches of science which are of directly industrial importance, such as are properly included within the meaning and intent of the land grant, as a part of the work of the college, but the institute, or school, is located at Boston instead of at Amherst, and receives what is supposed to be its proper share of the endowment income.

Other Funds.

There have been from time to time various gifts, both from the State and from individuals, towards the endowment and support of the college.

One important gift was made by L. M. and H. F. Hills of Amherst, which now amounts to $8,542. The income from this gift is to be applied towards the maintenance of a botanic garden.

There is also the Mary Robinson fund of $858, without conditions. The income is used for scholarships to worthy and needy students.

The sum of $1,000 was given by the Hon. Henry Gassett as a scholarship fund.

There is a library fund for the benefit of the library, amounting now to $9,420.47.