To encourage wheat production within Massachusetts, St 1838, c 23 (Mar. 2) mandated a bounty to persons cultivating and reaping wheat. (The program was extended by St 1839, c 119 (Apr. 6) and again by St 1840, c 11 (Feb. 27)). The applicant's town paid the bounty upon submission of a certificate in a format prescribed by the act and signed by a justice of the peace. Each town's certificates were submitted along with an account for the year's total paid out, to the state secretary, who forwarded the accounts to the governor and council for the issue of a warrant on the state treasury. Series consists of orders directed to the state treasurer, as signed by the town treasurer (or in a few cases by town selectmen), corresponding to the accounts submitted to the state secretary. Orders state amount owed to town, treasury account number, and name of recipient collecting the reimbursement. A few claims also include reimbursement requests for fox bounties (per St 1838, c 38 (Mar. 16)), pauper support (per Resolves 1841, c 38 (Mar. 8)), and payments to soldiers (per St 1840, c 92 (Mar. 24)). Series also contains a treasury account listing of total expenditures for 1838-1839 paid to agricultural societies (see: Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State. Records relating to agricultural societies, 1820-1854 ((M-Ar)1047X)), and for wheat and silk bounties (see: Massachusetts. Treasury Office. Orders for bounties on silk, 1839-1846 ((M-Ar)1590X)). Included also is a petition for reimbursement filed with the General Court from Littleton after submitting a late claim, granted per Resolves 1841, c 60 (Mar. 18). Files include orders dated 1839-1841 relating to bounties paid 1838-1840.
