STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 23 



For several years after the incorporation of the society it had no 

 definite or regular place of meeting, but held its fairs and exhibi- 

 tions in different portions of the State, until finally it was found 

 impossible to make it a success unless it was permanently located in 

 some central locality, where suitable grounds could be obtained and 

 proper buildings erected for its fairs and exhibitions. Sacramento 

 City was finally determined upon as being the most desirable place, 

 and, accordingly, about the year eighteen hundred and sixty, the 

 property of the society was removed there, and land purchased and 

 leased for a park, and buildings erected upon it for the convenience 

 of exhibitors and visitors. 



At a subsequent session of the Legislature an Act was passed which 

 provided that the general financial and prudential affairs of the 

 society should be intrusted to a Board of Agriculture, to consist of a 

 President and nine Directors, to be elected by life members and 

 annual members of the society, and four delegates from each District 

 and County Agricultural Society of the State, to hold office for the 

 term of three. years, the terms of three Directors to expire annually. 

 The Secretary and Treasurer are appointed by the Board, who fixes 

 their salary and prescribes their duties. The present officers of the 

 society are : President, R. S. Carey, Sacramento ; Secretary, Robert 

 Beck, Sacramento; Treasurer, L. A. Upson, Sacramento. Directors — 

 J. J. Green, Sacramento; Chris. Green, Sacramento; Frederick Cox, 

 Sacramento; E. B. Mott, Jr., Sacramento; R. M. Hamilton, Sacra- 

 mento; M. Biggs, Sr., Butte; M. D. Boruck, San Francisco; T. L. 

 Chamberlain, Placer; L. U. Shippee, Stockton. The salary of the 

 officers are fixed by the Board. The President has no stated salary, 

 but it is the custom of the Board to allow him a sufficient amount to 

 defray the expenses necessarily incurred in the discharge of the duties 

 of his office. For several years past a thousand dollars per annum has 

 been allowed him for this purpose. The Secretary receives a salary 

 of two thousand dollars a year. He attends to all the correspondence 

 of the society, keeps the books and accounts, compiles the premium 

 lists, prepares all reports of the Board to the society and all reports 

 made by the society to the State, signs all cards and tickets of admis- 

 sion, and countersigns all diplomas, certificates of merit, etc. Pie is 

 also ex officio Librarian, and has charge of all books, specimens, 

 etc., belonging to the society. The books of the society are kept in a 

 most creditable and systematic manner. 



The Treasurer receives a salary of two hundred and fifty dollars 

 per year. He is intrusted with the funds, certificates of stock, bonds, 

 notes, deeds, etc., and is obliged to give a good and sufficient bond, to 

 be approved of by the Board, for the faithful performance of his 

 duties. The Board of Directors is composed of gentlemen of high 

 character and integrity, and are directly identified with the agricul- 

 tural and mechanical interests of the country. Their chief and only 

 aim is to promote the welfare of the society, and to make it a credit 

 and benefit to the State. 



FINANCIAL CONDITION. 



The society, from its inception, labored under very great financial 

 embarrassments, its indebtedness at one time being as high as thirty 

 thousand dollars, and it was not until the year eighteen hundred 

 and seventy that this threatening cloud of debt was cleared away 



