count of his visits to Licking and other counties will be embodied in the report of the board for the year 1871. Having mentioned the subject of veterinary surgery, it may not be improper to suggest that the Legislature ought to empower or authorize the the Board of Agriculture to constitute itself a committee, with full power to act in the case of the sudden appearance of any serious epidemic among domestic animals, by whatever name it may be known, so that preventive measures may at once be taken. There is no doubt that the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture, in 1860, saved the lives of thousands of cattle, and saved, perhaps, millions of money by the very summary and very energetic measures adopted by it. The agricultural community in Ohio realized how utterly helpless they were some two years ago when the Texas cattle disease was sweeping over the country. The Governor's sympathies were enlisted in the cause, and he did what could-to the full extent of his authority-and here in Ohio we escaped, more through personal respect for the Governor than through any inherent force in the law on the statute book at the time. I have been induced to make the suggestion at this time, because I observe in our most reliable agricultural journals that an epidemic, or epizootic is now prevailing in some of the Eastern States, under the name of "MOUTH DISEASE”—a disease which is as terrible and as fatal as the rinderpest. It is a singular fact that great excitement and alarm prevails when the cholera makes its appearance, but no such alarm exists when scarlet fever is raging; and yet statistics demonstrate that many more persons die of scarlet fever during any year that it prevails, than there do of cholera during any year in which it appears. So of this mouth disease; no alarm exists in relation to it, yet more cattle die and greater losses are inflicted by it than by the rinderpest proper. COUNTY SOCIETIES. Another suggestion that I desire to submit to the convention for consideration is this, namely: There does not appear to be that intimate relation existing between the county societies and the State board, which it appears ought to exist. The State board is the creature of the county societies, and is not their superior. While I do not intend to enter any complaints against county societies-because I think that the points I will mention, in their effects, do the county societies more injury than they do the State board. One of these things is, that in their annual reports to the State board, they seem to feel that they have discharged their entire legal duty, when they have conformed to the merest letter of the law. There seems to be no heartiness in these reports; they bear the impress of having been made up very hastily and at the very last moment A good and full report from a county society does that society much good, and is credited and quoted from in many papers throughout our own and other States. COUNTY AGENTS FOR STATE FAIR. A second suggestion which has strongly impressed itself upon my mind s this, viz. Some of the officers of the county society might act as agent for the county, and collect together various agricultural and industrial objects, and exhibit them at the State fair, in the name of the county, but as the property of the actual owners. In this manner the State fair would be what it really should be: made up chiefly of contributions from and by the several county societies. It is not unfrequently too expensive for individuals from remote counties to attend in person, or not knowing to whom articles might be addressed and who would take a proper interest in exhibiting them, prefer to remain at home and not exhibit at all; whereas, if there were a county agent, his expenses for taking charge of the goods of fifteen or twenty exhibiters would be no more than for a single exhibiter. The aggregate of these exhibiters would no doubt cheerfully refund all his expenses, because it would be the merest fraction of what they themselves would incur collectively. This agent may be elected for this specific purpose, at the time of electing the officers of the county board. In conclusion, if nothing else were accomplished than the isolated fact of organization, the agriculturists of Ohio might well feel proud of their achievements. These agricultural organizations are not only popular, but are very widespread, embracing not only the State board and county societies, but district, township and independent societies. It certainly is proof of the respect for industrial pursuits that these organizations can command the sympathies and gratuitous services of some of the best men in the State; and in the expression of sympathy and the rendition of service, feel themselves honored by the privilege extended to them to be engaged. Then there is an æsthetic result from these annual exhibitions, manifested in the adornment of homes, more convenient arrangement of houses, barns and stables; and in all of these we see the outcropping of an attempt to render the useful at the same time to a certain extent ornamental; a tacit confession of an appreciation of the beautiful, and an effort to render the most toilsome and laborious avocation one that will minister to our conceptions of the agreeable. MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS. On motion of Mr. J. R. Kendall, the President appointed the following committee on Business: J. R. Kendall, of Shelby; R. P. Cannon, of Portage; and C. Caswell, of Erie. On motion of Hon. W. D. Hill, of Defiance, nominations were made to fill vacancies in the State Board of Agriculture. The following persons were nominated: J. Park Alexander... L. B. Sprague D. M. McMillen.. D. C. Richmond James Buckingham.......... F. L. Moody. John A. Warder..... W. C. Earl W. S. Hickox A. Monett.... J. L. Tyler J. M. Hughes W. A. Braman.. John Maidlaw. Phillip Troutman.. It was moved that the election take place at the evening session. The committee on Business reported in favor of having the addresses come in the following order, instead of as announced previous to the assembling of the convention: 1st, Dr. Townshend; 2d, Dr. Jno. A. Warder; 3d, L. F. Ward; 4th, Hon. T. C. Jones ; 5th, Mr. Hollenback. The committee suggested, as an additional topic, "The propriety of memorializing the General Assembly for a general law to allow county commissioners to raise money by tax to pay for fair grounds." Judge Lang, of Seneca, offered the following resolution: Resolved, That all laws to furnish revenues for the support of the General Government, which operate directly or indirectly as a protection to manufacturers, and to exclude from the American market foreign products, are injurious and destructive to the best interest of the great producing portion of the American people. Mr. Gage, of Hancock, offered the following preamble and resolution : WHEREAS, The present method of distributing the annual reports of the State Board of Agriculture by members of the General Assembly of Ohio, fails to place said reports in the hands of agriculturists and mechanics; therefore, be it Resolved, That this State Board should take some action for the passage of a law requiring said reports to be placed in the hands of county agricultural societies for distribution. On motion of Hon. W. B. McClung, the resolution was added to the programme as one of the subjects for discussion. On motion of W. S. Hickox, of Richland, the convention adjourned until half-past one o'clock P. M. AFTERNOON SESSION. The convention re-assembled at half-past one o'clock, and was called to order by the President. ADDRESS OF DR. N. S. TOWNSHEND. Dr. N. S. Townshend, of Elyria, was introduced, and proceeded to deliver an address as follows: Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention: I am requested to open the discussion on the "Necessity, Extent and Manner of Veterinary Studies in the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Ohio." I may say that this is not a question of my suggesting. I am heartily glad, however, that the State Board had thought it of sufficient importance to present for our consideration. I ought to say, a'so, that although I am one of the trustees of the college, I am not authorized to speak for my colleagues. So far as I know, they have arrived at no conclusions in regard to the extent or manner that veterinary studies should be pursued. I must be understood, therefore, as speaking only for myself, and indicating the course which I shall feel bound to recommend. The necessity of a thorough course of veterinary instruction in the Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State, will be apparent from a consideration of the amount of capital invested in live stock in the State, and the many and heavy losses to which the owners are subjected. From the Auditor's report for 1870, we learn that the assessed value of our live stock is in round numbers $100,000,000-horses and mules, $50,000,000; cattle, $32,000,000; sheep, $11,000,000, and hogs, $8,000,000. I might safely say that the actual value of this stock is in excess of the assessment, but I will take the figures as I find them. The annual income of this stock, in the form of wool, beef, pork, butter and cheese, exceeds $50,000,000, and this does not include the labor of horses, which I cannot easily separate from the account of grain and other products. The value of stock, and the income derived from this source, are dimin ished by several causes. Many of our young animals, from bad management and hard fare, fail to make a good annual growth. If one man's four year old steer is no larger or better than his neighbor's three year old of the same breed, the first has lost at least one-fourth of the annual profit on growth. Many farmers sustain heavy losses from defective methods of feeding. A few, perhaps, thoroughly economize food by placing their animals in the most favorable conditions for fattening. But of how few is this true-and all that the actual falls short of the possible must be regarded as lost. Then there is a great loss from unskillful or hap-hazard breeding. I submit to any owner of good stock, who knows the real profits between keeping a good animal and a poor one, how large is the loss sustained by our farmers from this cause. Might we not double the value of stock in the State by a few years of intelligent and judicious breeding? Again, the marketable products derived from stock -wool, beef, pork, etc.-how much do they fall below the highest attainable figure in quantity, and how much below the highest standard in quality? Finally, there are the losses from disease and death; possibly some may be ready to say that only this item comes fairly within the scope of the question; but to this I reply that the end of veterinary knowledge is not the cure of disease, but the maintenance of stock in the highest conditions of health and profit; and the treatment of disease is only incident to this. But how shall we estimate the losses annually sustained from disease? Taking the actual losses for a series of years on some farms with which I have been familiar, and adding what I conceived to be a fair proportion for unusual epidemics and contagious diseases, I have come to the conclusion that five per cent. of the total value of stock in the State is a low estimate of the loss from this cause alone; in other words, that an intelligent sanitary management of our whole stock, and a rational treatment of the disease, would save to us fully $5,000,000 annually. Now, putting together these sources of loss-stunted growth, wasteful feeding, careless breeding, deficient and inferior products, and disease-does it not appear that we lose almost as much as we gain-that is, if our management were in all respects as good as it might be, our annual profits from animals would be nearly double. THE EXTENT OF VETERINARY STUDIES. Now, how shall these losses be avoided or diminished? Not simply by a comparison of methods and experiences, though this I have no doubt would be of great service; it would at least diffuse the knowledge farmers now have, but it would do nothing for its increase. It is necessary, for |