STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 193 



The official transactions of the Society for 1862 have never been 

 pu])lished, the Legislature failing to provide for the same. The 

 Recording Secretary's report and the Treasurer's report are found in 

 the volume of transactions for 1863. Outside of these reports all 

 information of the Society's proceedings has been obtained from 

 other sources. Early in the season a number of citizens of Sacra- 

 mento, having witnessed the disadvantages the Society had been 

 laboring under in having only a half-mile track to hold its trials of 

 speed of stock on, determined to remove this disadvantage by putting 

 the Society in possession of a mile track, for use at the annual fairs. 

 They therefore formed an association styled the "Union Park Asso- 

 ciation, " and purchased six blocks of land lying north of the Society's 

 cattle grounds, obtained authority to close the streets crossing the 

 same, surrounded the tract with a high fence, and, by permission of 

 the Society, joined it to the wall inclosing the Society's grounds; and, 

 by extending a track around it from the north curves of the Society's 

 track, made an excellent mile track. By mutual arrangement this 

 track was made to accommodate the Society and the association. 

 The Society has since purchased this land and all the improvements, 

 of tlie meml^ers of the association, at its original cost. 



The annual fair of 1862 was commenced on the 31st day of August, 

 and closed on the 4th of September. 



President Haraszthy, in his opening address, recapitulated some of 

 the disasters and destruction that were visited upon the State and 

 her industries by the floods of December and January, and reverted 

 to the open handed generosity of every class of society in administer- 

 ing quick and substantial relief to the suflt'erers, and then said: 



Fellow-citizens, forever retain this generosity, this benevolence, which has ever characterized 

 you when misfortune, general or particular, demanded your attention. It is the surest guar- 

 anty to your future prosperity and aggrandizement; it is a mutual support and insurance. The 

 above named destruction of property, the unnatural rebellion, the scarcity of money, the heavy 

 taxes, the high price of goods and groceries, the cheapness of our own j^roduce and stock, have 

 all had their effect on the minds of the members of this Society, and influenced many of them 

 at the annual meeting in April to oppose the holding of a fair this fall. But the constitution 

 and charter dfi not admit such omission. Therefore, with many misgivings, and heavy hearts, 

 it was decided we should hold a lair. The result is before you; and under all these trying cir- 

 cumstances any unprejudiced mind Avill acknowledge that for energy and determination the 

 Californians are unequaled by any other people in the world. 



The Sacramento Union, the day after the fair closed, in an edito- 

 rial, made the following statement: 



Under the circumstances it is peculiarly gratifying to be able to testify that the State Fair has 

 proved successful beyond the most sanguine e.xpeotations. The attendance has been larger than 

 ever before since the State Fair was first held in this city. The ground at the Park yesterday 

 was fairly covered with people and carriages. At no time last year were there as many persons 

 present as at about two o'clock yesterda}'. The wonder was where the thousands j^resent could 

 have come from. 



H. E. Highton, of San Francisco, delivered the annual address. It 

 was a historical sketch of tlie progress of the agriculture of the United 

 States, and particularly of California, with many statistics of imports 

 and exports. 



FINANCIAL HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY. 



No reference has heretofore been made in this record to the finan- 

 cial matters of the Society, except so far as to state that by the origi- 

 nal charter the State appropriated for the use of the Society $5,000 a 

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