No. 112.] 493 



The Address was delivered in the afternoon by the President. 

 The subject was " The enobling and compensating properties of 

 the pursuits of husbandry f tlie point being to show that the 

 farmer who is educated as such, is elevated by his pursuit, in 

 proportion as he traces effects to their causes, and realizes the 

 wonder-working influences of those chemical combinations that 

 serve to produce the plant and resuscitate the soil ; and that, 

 however moderately compensated, as compared with other walks 

 of life, his is a mine of wealth and security against adversity pos- 

 sessed by no other class. 



Much stress was laid upon the importance of incorporating 

 agricultural chemistry into our common school education, urging, 

 also, that legislative action should be had in favor of establishing 

 an agricultural school. That the farmers, as a body, should 

 demand this if they are true to themselves, irrespective of politi- 

 cal biases. It was shoAvn that every President of this country, 

 from Washington down to the present incumbent, has called the 

 attention of Congress to the organization of an Agricultural 

 Bureau, but called in vain ; and that since our existence as a 

 nation, only $29,000 has been appropriated to promote this inte- 

 rest ; and that the same result had followed like appeals from 

 successive chief magistrates in this State. He urged the call of a 

 State agricultural conv^ention, to digest and carry out some plan 

 for the accomplishment of this very important means of retaining 

 to this State the value of her farming lands. 



According to the provisions of the new constitution of the socie- 

 ty, the annual meeting was held on the third Wednesday in October, 

 and the fallowing persons elected as officers for the ensuing year: 



Hamilton Murray, of Oswego, President ; John N. Holmes, of 

 Hastings, 1st Vice-President; Samuel' Lewis, of Hannibal, 2d 

 Vice-President; I. A. Place, Fulton, Recording secretary; N. 

 Goodsell, New-Haven, Corresponding secretary; J. I. Wolcott, 

 Fulton, Treasurer; William Schenck, I. E. Button, and Amory 

 Howe, Executive committee. 



It was decided to hold the fair of 1853 in the town of Granby. 

 The society resulved that the State Society be memorialized to call 

 a State Agricultural Convention, fur the purposes before alluded 

 to. HAMILTOiX MUKRAY, President, 



