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Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture Records

1764-2009

Guide to the Collection

Table of Contents

Collection Summary

Historical Sketch

Collection Description

Acquisition Information

Organization

Detailed Description of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Access Terms

Collection Summary

Creator:	Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture
Title:	Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture records
Dates:	1764-2009
Physical Description:	41 document boxes, 2 oversize boxes, and 1 oversize folder
Call Number:	Ms. N-517
Repository:	Massachusetts Historical Society 1154 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02215 library@masshist.org

Abstract:

This collection consists of the records of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, including correspondence, financial records, membership and trustee records, committee reports, petitions for premiums, records of awards, 150th anniversary materials, records of charitable contributions, Middlesex Agricultural Society papers (1819-1873), and Middlesex Society of Husbandmen and Manufacturers papers (1819-1850).

Table of Contents

Historical Sketch

The Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture (MSPA), one of the earliest agricultural societies in the United States, was incorporated in 1792. Among the founding members were Samuel Adams (who hosted the first meeting), Charles Bulfinch, Timothy Pickering, Benjamin Lincoln, Christopher Gore, and Benjamin Guild. These were presently joined by the likes of John Adams (the MSPA president from 1805 to 1813), John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry, Artemas Ward, Josiah Quincy, and other national figures from Massachusetts.

The Society's raison d'etre as stated in their petition for incorporation was to join the ranks of the agricultural societies in Britain and America "whose particular business is to make experiments themselves and invite others thereto on the subject of agriculture...[and] to give handsome premiums to the men of enterprise who have by their inquiries made useful discoveries and communicated them to the public." Although the methods have differed somewhat over the years, the Society has never strayed from this original intention of encouraging agricultural pursuits and experiments designed to advance agricultural technology and disseminate information.

The first premiums (prizes) offered by the MSPA were $50 for "the most satisfactory account of the natural history of the canker-worm" and $100 for the cheapest and most effective method of eradicating it. Premiums were also offered for the cultivation of wheat and other grains; the improvement of land, including the reclamation of salt marshes; the raising of trees; the greatest stock maintained on the least land; the best vegetable food for wintering stock; the most and best wool from a given number of sheep; the best process for making cider, maple sugar, butter, cheese, flax, and salted provisions; and for the best farm journals, manures, tree plantations, advances in ploughs and ploughing techniques, and farms in general. In 1801, the Society voted to establish a professorship of natural history at Harvard, which served as the origin of the Botanical Garden at Cambridge. In 1813, the MSPA began publishing semi-annually the Massachusetts Agricultural Journal, which was discontinued in 1827 when the publication of various weekly farming journals supplanted the need for a semi-annual one.

The year 1816 marked the first Cattle Show sponsored by the Society on their grounds in Brighton designated for that purpose. The Cattle Shows, which ran until 1835, were accompanied by an MSPA annual dinner, at which it was the custom to propose numerous toasts to members and guests, to the delight and amusement of all present. Among the guests in 1832 were the renowned ornithologist John James Audubon and Johann G. Spurzheim, the co-founder of phrenology. The toasts were as follows: "Our scientific countryman, John James Audubon: The flight of the eagle is not beyond his reach, nor the tenants of the poultry yard beneath his notice"; and "Our honored guest, Dr. Spurzheim: He reveals to us the secret import of our 'bumps'; we greet him with a bumper."

After 1835, the Society directed more effort at introducing into America improved breeds of cattle, sheep, and horses. They also voted many scholarships and grants to the State Agricultural College (now the University of Massachusetts) and other educational institutions, funded research in animal diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, and supported the Cambridge Botanical Garden and the Arnold Arboretum among many such horticultural stations. At the same time, they continued to offer premiums for the finest examples of farm products and techniques, and became involved in the many county and local agricultural societies and fairs that formed in the nineteenth century, mainly through offering prizes and prize monies to them.

In the twentieth century, the MSPA became involved with the 4-H Club, offering premiums to children involved in that organization, as well as funding the 4-H headquarters at Amherst and the junior dairy and poultry departments at the annual Eastern States Exposition in Massachusetts. They continue to fund scientific research at various educational institutions.

Table of Contents

Collection Description

The records of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture consist of correspondence with many individuals and organizations, financial records, membership and trustee records, committee reports, petitions for premiums (prizes), records of awards, 150th anniversary materials, papers concerning charitable contributions of the MSPA, Middlesex Agricultural Society papers (1819-1873), and Middlesex Society of Husbandmen and Manufacturers papers. The collection contains loose manuscripts, bound manuscript volumes, oversize loose manuscripts, oversize manuscript volumes, and photographs and engravings. The photographs and engravings (housed in one oversize box) are stored with the oversize manuscript material and are described in this guide to the collection.

Printed material has been removed from the collection and separately stored and cataloged. This material includes many broadsides advertising cattle shows and other fairs in Massachusetts, pamphlets on agricultural topics, and a variety of books. Papers of the Humane Society of Massachusetts, which had members in common with the MSPA, have also been removed and separately cataloged.

Table of Contents

Acquisition Information

This collection was deposited by the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture in 1979.

Table of Contents

Organization of the Collection

The majority of MSPA's loose manuscripts were originally filed in four drawers, and each folder, as well as each item, was individually numbered. Because of this numbering system, which corresponds with the MHS subject card index, the original arrangement of this portion of the collection has been retained. The first four series consist of the contents of these four drawers, Drawers A-D. Folders containing too much material have been broken up into smaller units, indicated by lower-case letters immediately following the folder numbers. For example, Box 2, Folder 18, has been divided into 7 folders: 18a through 18g.

The remainder of the collection has been arranged into five series: financial papers, general papers (containing miscellaneous manuscript material not originally housed in Drawers A-D), volumes, oversize material, and photographs and engravings.

The collection is organized into the following series:


	I. Drawer A, 1793-1940
	II. Drawer B, 1800-1961
	III. Drawer C, 1786-1929
	IV. Drawer D, 1764-1907
	V. Financial papers, 1793-1957
	VI. General papers, 1799-1963
	VII. Volumes, 1792-2009
	VIII. Oversize material, 1792-1952
	IX. Photographs and engravings, [183-]-1956

Table of Contents

Detailed Description of the Collection


Box	Folder	Contents
		I. Drawer A, 1793-1940 The bulk of the material in this series relates to premiums awarded by the MSPA, including correspondence and petitions for premiums on butter and cheese, livestock, farm equipment, manures, and other items. The series also contains lists of MSPA members, trustees, and officers.
			Farmer's almanac by Robert B. Thomas (Boston: Printed for West and Richardson), 1818
Box 1	Folder 1a			Copy kept by Daniel Hale, Byfield, Mass., with ms. entries
Box 1	Folder 1b			Copy kept by Jacob Kelley, Amesbury, Mass.
Box 1	Folder 1c			Copy kept by George Osgood, Andover, Mass.
Box 1	Folder 1d			Copy kept by Ward Lock, Corresponding Secretary of the Farmington Agricultural Society
Box 1	Folder 2		Two letters from the U.S. Patent Office, 1856; one letter from the U.S. War Department, 1871
Box 1	Folder 3		Harvard University correspondence (2 items)
Box 1	Folder 4		Horse "Columbus" correspondence and memoranda, 1822-1826
Box 1	Folder 5		Horses (miscellaneous), 1825-1899
Box 1	Folder 6		Insects and worms, 1793-1900
Box 1	Folder 7		Jersey cattle, 1852-1869
Box 1	Folder 8		Massachusetts Academy of Agriculture, 1844
Box 1	Folder 9		Massachusetts School of Agriculture, 1856; Massachusetts Agricultural College, 1868-1906, 1940
Box 1	Folder 10		"Massachusetts Ox," slaughtered 1 Jan. 1838
			Membership lists, trustee and officer lists, acceptances and resignation letters, and some miscellaneous correspondence
Box 1	Folder 11a-11g			No. 1-110
Box 2	Folder 11h-l			No. 111-165
Box 2	Folder 12		Minerals, 1793
Box 2	Folder 13		Thomas Motley, Jr.'s reports, 1849-1856
Box 2	Folder 14a-b		E. Phinney's reports, no. 1-36, 1846-1849
Box 2	Folder 15		North Devon cattle, 1850
Box 2	Folder 16a-b		Oxen, cattle, sheep, and other livestock, no. 1-41, 1809-1850
Box 2	Folder 17		Petition for premium on account books, 1842
Box 2	Folder 18a-g		Butter and cheese, correspondence, invoices, memoranda, and petitions for premiums, no. 1-107, 1820-1833
Box 3	Folder 19a-e		Petitions for premiums on butter and cheese, correspondence, and memoranda, no. 1-71, 1834-1839
Box 3	Folder 20		Petitions for premiums on domestic manufactures, 1835-1840
			Correspondence, memoranda, and petitions for premiums on farms and crops, 1793-1844
Box 3	Folder 21a-g			No. 1-100, 1793-1839
Box 3	Folder 22a-b			No. 1-33, 1840
Box 3	Folder 23a-e			No. 1-66, 1841-1844
Box 3	Folder 24a-c		Petitions for premiums on inventions and improvements in farm equipment and machinery, no. 1-45, 1813-1840
			Petitions for premiums on manures, 1793-1865
Box 4	Folder 25a-e			No. 1-69, 1793-1865
Box 4	Folder 26a-e			No. 1-73, 1800-1864
Box 4	Folder 27a-e		Correspondence and petitions for premiums on mowing machines, no. 1-73, 1855-1856
Box 4	Folder 28a-c		Petitions for premiums on oxen and cattle, swine, and sheep, no. 1-45, 1824-1844
Box 4	Folder 29a-b		Correspondence, memoranda, and petitions for premiums on ploughs, no. 1-25, 1794-1843
Box 4	Folder 30a-b		Petitions for premiums on trees, no. 1-19, 1815-1876
Box 4	Folder 31		Petition for premium on wine (one item), 1824
Box 4	Folder 32a-c		Miscellaneous material about premiums offered by the MSPA, 1793-1906
Box 5	Folder 1		Culture of potatoes (one item)
Box 5	Folder 2		Massachusetts Agricultural Journal, catalog of Maghull Nurseries, 1817; letter, Levi Lincoln to J.W. Paige, 8 Nov. 1855 Note: The journal has been moved to printed material. The letter has been moved to general papers.
Box 5	Folder 3		"Guernsey Record Book - List of owners - Vol. I and II"
Box 5	Folder 4		"Premium Record Book. Worcester, 1844"
Box 5	Folder 4a		Payment book, Worcester, 1844 Inscription: "Check Book of H. Codman Treasurer of the Mass. Society for Promoting Agriculture. Worcester Oct. 10, 1844. For payment of Premiums Gratuities & Travel at the Cattle Show & Exhibition of Farming Implements."
Box 5	Folder 5		"Premium Lists ca. 1889"
Box 5	Folder 6		Index of names and addresses [of farmers?], ca. 1880s? Inscription on inside cover: "Property of Francis H. Appleton 23 Court St."
					Table of Contents


Box	Folder	Contents
		II. Drawer B, 1800-1961 Most of the material in this series is correspondence, first arranged chronologically, then alphabetically by subject. Subjects include agricultural societies, clubs, awards, fairs, and expositions, as well as various agricultural schools and professional associations. Among the individuals represented in the correspondence are James R. Reynolds and George S. West. This series also contains records relating to the MSPA's 150th anniversary in 1942.
Box 6	Folder 1-14		Chronological correspondence, June 1945-1951
			Alphabetical correspondence and material relating to:
Box 6	Folder 15			Elinor R. Abbot, American Autograph Shop, American Guernsey Cattle Club, Appalachian Mountain Club
Box 6	Folder 16			Francis H. Appleton, Sr., and Francis H. Appleton, Jr.
Box 6	Folder 17			Arnold Arboretum
Box 6	Folder 18			Agricultural "A" Awards, 1944
Box 6	Folder 19			Agricultural "A" Awards, Barnstable County, 1944
Box 6	Folder 20			Agricultural "A" Awards, Berkshire County, 1945
Box 6	Folder 21			Agricultural "A" Awards, Bristol County, 1944
Box 6	Folder 22			Agricultural "A" Awards, Hampden County, 1944
Box 6	Folder 23			Agricultural "A" Awards, Middlesex County, 1944
Box 6	Folder 24			Agricultural "A" Awards, Norfolk County, 1945
Box 6	Folder 25			Agricultural "A" Awards, Plymouth County, 1945
Box 6	Folder 26			Agricultural "A" Awards, Worcester County, 1945
Box 6	Folder 27			Peter J. Baima, Barnstable Fair, Walter C. Baylies, A. Emerson Benson
Box 6	Folder 28			Boit, Dalton & Church; Boston Evening Transcript
Box 6	Folder 29			Boston Poultry Show
Box 6	Folder 30			Boston Public Schools, Nathaniel E. Bowditch, Thomas J. Brown
Box 7	Folder 31			Charles C. Cabot, centennial volumes (of the MSPA) distribution
Box 7	Folder 32			Robert B. Choate, Chilean nitrate of soda
Box 7	Folder 33			William Dexter
Box 7	Folder 34			Eastern States Exposition
Box 7	Folder 35			William C. Endicott
Box 7	Folder 36			Essex Agricultural Society, William M. Evarts
Box 7	Folder 37			4-H Club
Box 7	Folder 38			Gore Place Society; Jeannette E. Graustein; Harvard Cooperative Society, Inc.
Box 7	Folder 39			Harvard Forest
Box 7	Folder 40			Harvard University Botanical Museum
Box 7	Folder 41			Augustus Hemenway, Walter Hunnewell
Box 7	Folder 42			"Inquiries by the Agricultural Society," 1802 Printed booklet completed in ms.
Box 7	Folder 43			International Association of Fairs and Expositions; Jamaica Plain High School; James T. Lea; Lee, Higginson Trust Company
Box 7	Folder 44			Lexington Gardens, Inc.; Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture; A.W. Lombard (Massachusetts Agricultural Fairs Association)
Box 7	Folder 45			Massachusetts Audubon Society, Massachusetts Civic League, Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, Massachusetts Forest and Park Association, Massachusetts Horticultural Society
Box 7	Folder 46			Massachusetts State College
Box 7	Folder 47			Meador Publishing Company
Box 7	Folder 48			MSPA meetings and trustee lists
Box 7	Folder 49			Middlesex County Agricultural "A" Awards, Middlesex County Extension Service (A.F. MacDougall)
Box 7	Folder 50			Jane Motley
Box 7	Folder 51			National parks, National Shawmut Bank of Boston
Box 7	Folder 52			New England Council
Box 7	Folder 53			New England Farm and Garden Association
Box 7	Folder 54			New York Guernsey Breeders' Association, New York Public Library
Box 7	Folder 55			Philip Dana Orcutt
Box 7	Folder 56			Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture
				James R. Reynolds
Box 7	Folder 57				1936-1951
Box 8	Folder 58-70				1952-1960
Box 8	Folder 71			Rhode Island State College, William J. Robbins (New York Botanical Garden), John T. Robinson
Box 8	Folder 72			Dudley P. Rogers, William B. Rogers
Box 8	Folder 73			Alice Roundy, James S. Russell, Stephen W. Sabine
Box 8	Folder 74			John L. Saltonstall, Leverett Saltonstall, Richard Saltonstall
Box 8	Folder 75			Securities brokerage houses
Box 8	Folder 76			Quincy A. Shaw II, George E. Stone, John E. Thayer, Henry S. Thompson
Box 8	Folder 77			Topsfield Fair, Sep. 1954; Bayard Tuckerman, Jr.
Box 8	Folder 78			Union Agricultural Meeting, Jan. 1956; University of Massachusetts
Box 8	Folder 79			Raymond Urquhart, archivist for the MSPA, 1941
Box 8	Folder 80			Henry G. Vaughan
Box 8	Folder 81-86			George S. West, 1930-1945
Box 8	Folder 87			C.W. Whittier & Bro., William P. Wolcott
Box 9	Folder 88		Sample of Rudolph Ruzicka bookplate for the MSPA
Box 9	Folder 89		MSPA history, typescript, 1892-1942
Box 9	Folder 90		Article about the MSPA in Food Marketing in New England, Vol. 21, No. 4, Spring 1961
Box 9	Folder 91		MSPA emblem samples
Box 9	Folder 92		MSPA property inventories, 1949-1955
Box 9	Folder 93-101		MSPA 150th anniversary acceptances, A-Z
Box 9	Folder 102-106		MSPA 150th anniversary regrets, A-Z
			MSPA 150th anniversary banquet
Box 9	Folder 107			Seating arrangements
Box 9	Folder 108			Mailing lists
Box 9	Folder 109			Drafts of John Ames's speech
Box 9	Folder 110			Miscellaneous material
Box 9	Folder 111-115		Correspondence regarding the 150th anniversary, 1941-July 1942
Box 10	Folder 116		Animal diseases, papers concerning experiments
Box 10	Folder 117		4-H Club, correspondence and papers concerning MSPA awards to 4-H members
Box 10	Folder 118		Papers and correspondence regarding gypsy moths
Box 10	Folder 119		Letter by F. H. Appleton regarding pesticides
Box 10	Folder 120		Awards given by the MSPA at the Boston Poultry Show (boys and girls department), 1936-1937
Box 10	Folder 121		Obituaries of F.H. Appleton, C.S. Sargent, W.C. Baylies, and J.C. Rogers
Box 10	Folder 122		Correspondence with Old Sturbridge Village, regarding letters of Salem Towne, 1959
Box 10	Folder 123		MSPA trustee and officer lists
Box 10	Folder 124-127		Miscellaneous correspondence and papers, 1800-1928
						Table of Contents


Box	Folder	Contents
		III. Drawer C, 1786-1929 This series consists of correspondence, reports, accounts, receipts, premium lists, and other miscellaneous material on a variety of subjects, including crops and livestock. Other topics addressed in this series include agricultural societies, cattle shows, gifts and other financial matters, trustees' votes, and the MSPA's bovine tuberculosis experiment, 1906-1912.
			Agricultural societies
Box 11	Folder 1			Barnstable County
Box 11	Folder 2			Berkshire County
Box 11	Folder 3a-b			Essex County
Box 11	Folder 4			Foreign agricultural societies
Box 11	Folder 5			Hampshire, Franklin & Hampden Agricultural Society
Box 11	Folder 6			MSPA premium lists Note: Broadsides have been moved to printed material.
Box 11	Folder 7			MSPA correspondence and other papers
Box 11	Folder 8			Middlesex and Norfolk Counties: Society of Middlesex Husbandmen and Manufactures, Middlesex Agricultural Society, Middlesex South Agricultural Society, and Norfolk Agricultural Society
Box 11	Folder 9			Miscellaneous agricultural societies
Box 11	Folder 10			Miscellaneous
Box 11	Folder 11			Miscellaneous; premiums awarded by the MSPA Note: Broadsides have been moved to printed material.
Box 11	Folder 12			New York
Box 11	Folder 13			North and South Carolina
Box 11	Folder 14			Ohio
Box 12	Folder 15			Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture
Box 12	Folder 16			United States Agricultural Society
Box 12	Folder 17a			Worcester Agricultural Society, no. 1-13
Box 12	Folder 17b			Worcester Agricultural Society, no. 14-36
Box 12	Folder 18		Alderney cattle
Box 12	Folder 19		American Pomological Society
Box 12	Folder 20		Amherst College
Box 12	Folder 21		Appalachian Mountain Club
Box 12	Folder 22		Arnold Arboretum, 1897-1909
Box 12	Folder 23a-d		Ayrshire cattle, no. 1-76
Box 12	Folder 24a-c		Ayrshire and North Devon cattle, no. 1-63
Box 12	Folder 25		Bay State Society
Box 12	Folder 26		Beets and beet sugar
Box 12	Folder 27		Boston Asylum and Farm School for Indigent Boys
Box 12	Folder 28		City of Boston, reports to assessors, 1883-1898
Box 12	Folder 29		Boston School Garden Committee, 1905-1906
			Cambridge Botanic Gardens, professorship of natural history at Harvard
Box 13	Folder 30a-d			No. 1-64
Box 13	Folder 31a-f			No. 1-145
			Cambridge Botanic Garden
Box 13	Folder 32a-h			William Carter's accounts, no. 1-228
Box 13	Folder 33a-e			W.D. Peck's accounts, no. 1-107
			Brighton Cattle Show
Box 14	Folder 34a			Premium lists, no. 1-10
Box 14	Folder 34b			Premium lists, correspondence, and advertising copy, no. 11-25
Box 14	Folder 34c			Committee lists, no. 26-42
Box 14	Folder 35a-e		Brighton Exhibition Hall, deeds, plans, correspondence, premiums, etc., no. 1-83
Box 14	Folder 36		Bulls
			Cattle shows
Box 14	Folder 37			Miscellaneous
Box 14	Folder 38a			Plymouth County
Box 14	Folder 38b			Worcester County
Box 14	Folder 40		Copperplate of Oakes's prize cow
Box 14	Folder 41a-f		Correspondence and reports on various agricultural matters, no. 1-62, 1793-1869
Box 14	Folder 42a		Vines and wines, weeds, trees, and plants; correspondence and reports, no. 1-8
Box 14	Folder 42b		Wheat, correspondence and reports, no. 9-22
Box 15	Folder 42c		Wool, "general reports," no. 23-30
Box 15	Folder 42d		General reports and Fessenden's monument, no. 31-45
Box 15	Folder 42e		General reports, no. 46-58
Box 15	Folder 42f		General reports and correspondence (wheat), no. 59-72
Box 15	Folder 43		Dummer Academy (one item)
Box 15	Folder 44a		Essays on peat, no. 1-40
Box 15	Folder 44b		Premiums paid, n.d.; experiments, canker worm, inventions, and single-horse carts, no. 41-50
Box 15	Folder 44c		Maple syrup, canker worm, experiments, inventions, meadows, and butter (report, 1792), no. 51-64
Box 15	Folder 45		Negatives and originals of items that were shown in display case, including items relating to: Timothy Pickering, George Washington, Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, John Adams, and John Quincy Adams
Box 16	Folder 1		Gypsy moths
Box 16	Folder 2		"Amounts paid Harvard College," 1901-1903
Box 16	Folder 3-10		Gifts to Arboretum, 1904-1929
Box 16	Folder 11-16		"Fiscal matters," 1920-1928
			Receipts, 1909-1928
Box 16	Folder 17-27			1909-1919
Box 17	Folder 1-9			1920-1928
Box 17	Folder 10-18		Trustees' business, 1916-1922
			Trustees' votes, 1898-1922
Box 17	Folder 19-23			1898-1918
Box 18	Folder 1-7			1919-1922
Box 18	Folder 8-10		Bovine tuberculosis experiment, 1906-1912
					Table of Contents


Box	Folder	Contents
		IV. Drawer D, 1764-1907 This series contains general correspondence, as well as correspondence relating to domestic manufactures, farm products, MSPA publications, and other subjects. Notable individuals represented in the letters include John Quincy Adams, Edward Everett, Josiah Quincy, and Daniel Webster. The series also contains reports on crops, livestock, farm machinery, etc.; records of premiums paid; the papers of the Middlesex Agricultural Society, 1820-1873; and the papers of the Middlesex Society of Husbandmen and Manufacturers, 1819-1850.
			General correspondence, 1790-1907
Box 19	Folder 1a-d			No. 1-64, 1790-1835
Box 19	Folder 2a-e			No. 1-76, 1836-1842
Box 19	Folder 3a-d			No. 1-64, 1843-1850
Box 19	Folder 4a-g			No. 1-129, 1850-1900
Box 19	Folder 5a-e			No. 1-102, 1901-1907
Box 20	Folder 6a-b			No. 1-44, n.d.
Box 20	Folder 7a		Domestic manufactures, correspondence, no. 1-10, 1808-1870
Box 20	Folder 7b-d		Farm products, correspondence, no. 12-53, 1792-1851
Box 20	Folder 7e		Ploughs, correspondence, no. 54-62, 1794-1840
Box 20	Folder 7f		Trees, correspondence, no. 63-73, 1800-1841
Box 20	Folder 8a		Petitions for premiums, memoranda, and reports on butter and cheese, no. 1-7, 1831-1839
Box 20	Folder 8b		Reports on cattle (1829), farm implements, fruits, and orchards (1804-1851), no. 8-21
Box 20	Folder 8c		Reports on inventions and machines (1797-1833), manufactures (1829-1873), trees (1827-1840), silkworms (1798), no. 22-42
Box 20	Folder 9a-f		Reports on farms and farm products, no. 1-72, 1837-1844
Box 20	Folder 10a		Premiums paid on butter and cheese, reports of committee on butter and cheese, no. 1-10, 1830-1839
Box 20	Folder 10b		Premiums paid on domestic manufactures, no. 11-16, 1833-1841
Box 20	Folder 10c-d		Premiums paid on farms and farm products, no. 17-58, 1823-1843
Box 20	Folder 10e		Premiums paid on inventions, no. 59-68, 1818-1844
Box 20	Folder 11a-b		Premiums paid on oxen and cattle, no. 1-46, 1827-1844
Box 20	Folder 11c		Premiums paid on ploughs and ploughing, no. 47-59, 1827-1835
Box 20	Folder 11d		Premiums paid on trees and plants, no. 60-77, 1833-1889
Box 21	Folder 12		Butter and cheese sales, no. 1-21, 1837-1883
Box 21	Folder 13a-g		Correspondence and materials related to publications, no. 1-109, 1764-1906
Box 21	Folder 14		Correspondence and other papers regarding horse and cow skeletons, including one item on the Devon Cow, no. 1-17, 1846-1853
Box 21	Folder 15		Veterinary materials, no. 1-8, 1815-1901
Box 21	Folder 16		John and John Quincy Adams, typescripts of letters, 1813, 1819; correspondence regarding nomination of John Quincy Adams as trustee, no. 1-5, 1867-1868
Box 21	Folder 17		Edward Everett, correspondence, no. 1-16, 1834-1854
Box 21	Folder 18		William Prescott, correspondence, no. 1-15, 1834-1843
Box 21	Folder 19		Josiah Quincy (1772-1864), one letter, 1845
Box 21	Folder 20		Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, materials regarding a statue to him in his native city, no. 1-7
Box 21	Folder 21		Daniel Webster, typescript of letter, 1833; resolves on his death, 1852 (3 items)
			Middlesex Agricultural Society papers, 1820-1873
Box 22	Folder 1			Beet sugar, 1839
Box 22	Folder 2			Bread, 1861
Box 22	Folder 3			Butter, 1828-1861
Box 22	Folder 4-6			Cattle, 1826-1873
Box 22	Folder 7			Domestic manufactures, 1861
Box 22	Folder 8			Boots and shoes, 1823-1829
Box 22	Folder 9			Cotton, woolen, and linen goods, 1833
Box 22	Folder 10			Inventions and improvements in farm machinery and tools, 1823-1829
Box 22	Folder 11			Needlework, 1861
Box 22	Folder 12			Straw bonnets, 1823-1824
Box 22	Folder 13			Farms, 1830-1839
Box 22	Folder 14			Farms, 1841-[1860s]
Box 22	Folder 15			Flowers, n.d.
Box 22	Folder 16			Poultry, 1859-1872
Box 22	Folder 17			Grapes, 1861
Box 22	Folder 18			Mulberry trees, 1839-1841
Box 22	Folder 19			Apple orchards, 1821-1840
Box 22	Folder 20			Peaches, plums, and melons, 1846-1863
Box 22	Folder 21			Pears, 1861-1864
Box 22	Folder 22			Temperance, 1821
Box 22	Folder 23			Grain, hay, and corn, 1822-1861
Box 22	Folder 24			Horses, 1828-1861
Box 22	Folder 25			Trustees and trustee committees, 1820-1849
Box 22	Folder 26			Manure, 1847-1862
Box 22	Folder 27			Oxen, 1828-1861
Box 22	Folder 28			Ploughing, 1824-1861
Box 22	Folder 29			Sheep, 1825-1829
Box 22	Folder 30			Swine, 1825-1861
Box 22	Folder 31			Vegetables, 1821-1873
Box 23	Folder 32-34			General business papers, 1820-1865
Box 23	Folder 35-38		Middlesex Society of Husbandmen and Manufacturers papers, 1819-1850
Box 23	Folder 39		Dummies of miscellaneous printed items moved to printed material
					Table of Contents


Box	Folder	Contents
		V. Financial papers, 1793-1957 This series consists of treasurer's reports, auditor's reports, reports to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, information on investments and insurance, and records relating to the Michaux Legacy.
Box 24	Folder 1-15		Treasurer's reports, 1793-1934
Box 24	Folder 16-17		Bank books, Columbian National Bank, 1885-1898
Box 25	Folder 18-43		Auditor's reports, 1932-1957
Box 25	Folder 44-48		Reports to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1820-1853
			Investments, 1807-1927
Box 25	Folder 49			Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Company, 1900-1926
Box 25	Folder 50			Georgia Railroad & Banking Company, 1900-1926
Box 25	Folder 51			New York Central & Hudson River Railroad Company, 1884-1927
Box 25	Folder 52			Union Pacific Railroad Company, 1902-1907
Box 25	Folder 53			United Electric Securities Company, 1900-1909
Box 25	Folder 54-55			Miscellaneous, 1807-1909
Box 25	Folder 56		Property rentals, 1884-1909
Box 25	Folder 57		American Insurance Company, 1882-1890
Box 25	Folder 58		Boylston Mutual Insurance Company, 1873-1877
Box 25	Folder 59		Boylston Fire and Marine Insurance Company, 1845
Box 26			Michaux Legacy, 1852-July 1872
					Table of Contents


Box	Folder	Contents
		VI. General papers, 1799-1963 This series contains miscellaneous loose manuscripts not originally filed in Drawers A-D, including correspondence, reports, bills, receipts, records of experiments, and notes on the history of the MSPA.
			Bills, receipts, memoranda, reports, and correspondence, 1817-1951
Box 27				1817-1859
Box 28				1860-1868
Box 29				1869-1877
Box 30				1878-1886
Box 31				1887-1909, 1951
Box 32	Folder 1-8		Potato experiments, with photographs
Box 32	Folder 9		Notes on the history of the MSPA (ms.)
Box 32	Folder 10		Letter, William Strickland to John T. Kirkland, 10 Apr. 1799
Box 32	Folder 11		Louise Emerson Carlisle, correspondence and notes regarding the MSPA, 1952-1963
Box 32	Folder 12		Ms. titled "Legislation as to Bounties to Agricultural Societies," 27 pp.
Box 32	Folder 13		Bills and accounts relating to Percheron stallions and rams, 1882
Box 32	Folder 14		Reclamation of salt marshes, 1877-1879
					Table of Contents


Box	Folder	Contents
		VII. Volumes, 1792-2009 This series consists of miscellaneous bound volumes, including meeting minutes, lists, contest books, account books, and some records of the MSPA secretary.
			Minutes of trustee meetings, 1792-2009 Note: Most of the minutes dated 1975-2009 came to the MHS in three-ring binders, which have since been discarded.
Box 33	Folder 1			3 Aug. 1792-29 June 1805 This volume is the first record book of the MSPA.
Box 33	Folder 2			28 Sep. 1805-6 June 1818
Box 33	Folder 3			27 June 1818-11 Dec. 1824
Box 33	Folder 4			8 Jan. 1825-13 July 1844
Box 33	Folder 5			13 July 1844-12 Apr. 1856
Box 34	Folder 6			14 June 1856-9 June 1871
Box 34	Folder 7			14 July 1871-12 Oct. 1883
Box 34	Folder 8			9 Nov. 1883-8 Jan. 1909
Box 34	Folder 9			16 Apr. 1909-12 Dec. 1941
Box 34A	Folder A-D			14 Nov. 1975-12 Nov. 1982
Box 34A	Folder E			24 Feb. 1981-9 Dec. 1983
Box 34A	Folder F-J			5 Jan.-27 Dec. 1984
Box 34B				18 Jan. 1985-21 Dec. 1992
Box 34C				11 Jan. 1993-11 Sep. 2009
Box 35	Folder 10		Secretary's records of MSPA meetings, 19 Apr. 1792-14 June 1944
Box 35	Folder 11		Secretary's records of MSPA meetings (copies), 19 Apr. 1792-13 June 1958
Box 35	Folder 12		List of members of the MSPA, 1819-?
Box 36	Folder 13		Secretary's letterbook, 12 Jan. 1886-1 Mar. 1895
Box 36	Folder 14		"List of local farmers' clubs, horticultural societies, village improvement societies, etc. in Massachusetts," 1887
Box 36	Folder 15		Sir Isaac (stallion) receipt book for stud services, 1826
Box 36	Folder 16		"The feeding of sheep; considered in reference to the production of mutton and wool," n.d. Soft-bound volume, four folios tied together.
Box 36	Folder 17		Entries in fairs and cattle shows: n.d. (fair), 1826 (fair), 1828 (fair), 1837 (cattle show), 1838 (fair) Six soft-bound volumes.
Box 37	Folder 18		"List of names of active farmers in state to whom notices of 'Farm Prizes' were sent. List obtained through courtesy of Grange. Jan. 1, 1905."
Box 37	Folder 19		Massachusetts farm account book (blank). Issued in furtherance of the acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. John S. Willard, Director. Printed through the courtesy of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture
Box 37	Folder 20		"A New and complete system of keeping farm accounts." Fourth edition, 1905. Originated and published by George A. Rogers, Westboro, Mass. Printed, soft-bound volume completed in ms. by J.J. Erwin, Wayland, Mass.
Box 37	Folder 21-22		Farm prize contest book with entries for farm prize contest, Apr.-Oct. 1905 Printed entry forms completed in ms.
Box 37	Folder 23		Alphabetical index of names, unidentified, mostly blank, n.d.
			Financial records, 1793-1939
Box 38	Folder 24			Cashbook, 1793-1880
Box 38	Folder 25			Dues book, with index, 1793-1817
Box 38	Folder 26			Investments, 1880-1939
					Table of Contents


Box	Folder	Contents
		VIII. Oversize material, 1792-1952 This series contains both oversize manuscripts and oversize volumes, including land plans, blueprints, drawings, awards, and financial reports of the MSPA to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
	Folder OS		Drawing, plan of land at Brighton Agricultural Hall, n.d.
	Folder OS		Drawings, plan of land at Brighton Agricultural Hall, slightly different versions (6 items)
Box OS 1			Index of names, n.d. Soft-bound volume.
	Folder OS		MSPA membership certificate of Joseph Ward, 31 May 1792
	Folder OS		Letter to the trustees of the MSPA from the NLPE (Commonwealth of Massachusetts) re: canker worm, 30 June 1795
	Folder OS		Insurance policy, Massachusetts Fire Insurance Company, 16 May 1799
Box OS 1			List of members of the MSPA, corrected with the Secretary, Sep. 1819 Hard-bound volume.
Box OS 1			Premium Awards at Brighton, 1827 Soft-bound volume.
Box OS 1			Premium Awards at Fanueil Hall, Boston, 1831 Soft-bound volume.
	Folder OS		Answers of Ichabod R. Jacobs, Scituate, to the interrogators of the MSPA committee as presented in the Proposals (farm premium petition), 1839
	Folder OS		Plan of Land Appurtenant to the Agricultural Hall, Brighton, to be sold at public auction, 1844. Printed map, B.W. Thayer & Co. Lith. Boston. (2 copies)
	Folder OS		Record of work of mowing machines manufactured by Ruggles Nourse Mason & Co. and by Henry, Rice & Co. in the year 1855, 10 Sep. 1855 Printed form completed in ms.
	Folder OS		Drawing of a farm machine patented by W.H. Hovey, 15 Apr. 1856
	Folder OS		Returns of the MSPA for the year ending 30 Nov. 1859 Printed form completed in ms. Financial report to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
	Folder OS		Returns of the MSPA for the year ending 30 Nov. 1860 Printed form completed in ms. Financial report to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
	Folder OS		Returns of the MSPA for the year ending 30 Nov. 1865 Printed form completed in ms. Financial report to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
	Folder OS		Gift acknowledgment from Massachusetts Historical Society to Francis Henry Appleton, 6 July 1920
	Folder OS		Blueprints for the library of the MSPA, Campbell & Aldrich Architects, Boston, Mass., 2 Dec. 1952
				Table of Contents


Box	Contents
	IX. Photographs and engravings, [183-]-1956 This series consists of individual and group photographs, engravings, and seals. Individuals represented in the images include William C. Endicott, Robert C. Winthrop, Caleb Strong, and others.
Box OS 2		Three photographs, black and white glossies, Topsfield Fair, Sep. 1954
Box OS 2		One photograph, black and white glossy, exhibit at Worcester Memorial Auditorium, 38th Annual Union Agricultural Meeting, 4-6 Jan. 1956
Box OS 2		Group photograph, William C. Endicott's place, Danvers, Mass., 11 June 1920
Box OS 2		Cabinet card, Robert C. Winthrop, 15 Apr. 1874
Box OS 2		Photograph of miniature of Thomas Russell by Edward G. Malbone (ca. 1796)
Box OS 2		Photograph of a drawing (?) of David Sears, Jr.
Box OS 2		Engraving of Caleb Strong
Box OS 2		Seal of the MSPA on parchment (or vellum?), two examples, 183-, 184-
Box OS 2		Engraving, Improved Short Horned Cow Red Lady, the property of James Lenox, Esq. N.Y. which obtained the First Prizes at the N.Y.S. Ag. Society's Show, Poughkeepsie, 1844, and at the Dutchess Ag. Society's Show, 1843. Engraved for the "Cultivator." Printed by Gavil & Co. Albany. E. Forbes, del. Jordan & Halpin, sc.
Box OS 2		Engraving, Isaac P. Davis, by W.H. Forbes & Co.
Box OS 2		Photograph of Charles S. Sargent
Box OS 2		Photograph of painting of Caleb Strong
Box OS 2		Photograph of Francis H. Appleton, 1931
Box OS 2		Photograph of Jacob C. Rogers
Box OS 2		Photograph of Frederick L. Ames
Box OS 2		Photograph of drawing (?) of George M. Dexter
Box OS 2		Photograph of S. Endicott Peabody
Box OS 2		Group photograph, William Endicott's place, Danvers, Mass., Aug. 1905
Box OS 2		Photograph of painting of George W. Lyman
Box OS 2		Photograph of painting of Thomas Motley
Box OS 2		Photograph of drawing (?), unidentified man
Box OS 2		Eight photographs on a mat board: George W. Lyman, R.C. Winthrop, Richard S. Fay (1847), Peter C. Brooks, Edward N. Perkins, Ebenezer F. Bowditch, Francis H. Appleton, and John S. Ames
Box OS 2		Photograph of painting of Leverett Saltonstall
Box OS 2		Photograph of painting of Thomas L. Winthrop
Box OS 2		Photograph of painting of John Adams
Box OS 2		Photograph of painting of Ebenezer Frank Bowditch

Table of Contents

Preferred Citation

Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture records, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Table of Contents

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.


	Persons:
		Appleton, Francis Henry, b. 1847.
		Brooks, Peter Chardon, 1767-1849.
		Everett, Edward, 1794-1865.
		Guild, Benjamin, 1785-1858.
		Lincoln, Levi, 1782-1868.
		Motley, Thomas, Jr.
		Phinney, Elias, 1780-1849.
		Prescott, William, 1788-1875.
		Reynolds, James Robbins, 1901-
		West, George S.


	Organizations:
		4-H Club (Massachusetts).
		Arnold Arboretum.
		Brighton Cattle Show (1816-1835: Boston, Mass.).
		Harvard University--Endowments.
		Middlesex Agricultural Society (Middlesex County, Mass.).
		Society of Middlesex Husbandmen and Manufacturers (Middlesex County, Mass.).


	Subjects:
		Agricultural inventions.
		Agricultural pests.
		Agriculture--Awards.
		Agriculture--Experimentation.
		Agriculture--Massachusetts.
		Botanic Garden (Cambridge, Mass.).
		Cattle--Showing.
		Farm equipment--Massachusetts.
		Farmers--Massachusetts.
		Farm produce--Massachusetts.
		Horticulture--Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0245
Send reference questions to library@masshist.org.

Collection processed by Katherine H. Griffin, February 1989.
Encoded by Susan Martin, July 2006

Massachusetts Historical Society
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Boston, MA 02215-3695
Tel: 617.536.1608
Fax: 617.859.0074

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