REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER. II 



AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 



The agricultural societies of the State have met with about 

 the usual amount of success during the past year. The exhibi- 

 tions held by our three state societies were unusually large and 

 instructive, and at many of our county fairs the display of stock 

 and farm products was exceptionally fine. We are pleased to 

 note an increasing tendency, on the part of some of the societies, 

 to adhere more closely to the lines of a strictly agricultural fair. 

 It is our opinion that this policy will not detract from the finan- 

 cial success, and that such fairs will have more influence upon 

 the improvement of agriculture. 



The following figures show the business of these societies for 

 1906. 



Number of horses and colts exhibited 1610 



Number of neat cattle exhibited 55 n 



Number of sheep exhibited ii49 



Number of swine exhibited 512 



Number of poultry (coops) exhibited 3439 



Amount of premiums and gratuities paid $23,282 24 



Amount of trotting purses $20,239 23 



Per cent of premiums and gratuities to total 



awards 53 



Per cent of state stipend 37-28 



Number of societies receiving stipend 40 



THE WORK OF THE OFFICE. 

 The amount of work which is necessary to be performed in 

 the office of the department has been continually increasing. 

 The correspondence is very large, and the work of suppressing 

 the brown-tail moth and other duties which have been added 

 to the department within recent years have largely increased the 

 clerical work. The publication of the annual report and quar- 

 terly bulletins has been continued and our effort has been to 

 make these of increasing value and interest to the farmers of 

 the State. 



