STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 45 



1845 J the Legislature passed an act giving to the Executive 

 Committee of the Society free use of the Cabinet of Natural His- 

 tory, and the specimens there deposited. The Society was con- 

 fined to this small room until 1848, when an application was 

 made to the Commissioners of the Land Office for the use of the 

 rooms originally assigned them by order of the Legislature; and 

 the Commissioners (although the application was opposed,) 

 restored to the Society the rooms originally assigned to them, and 

 the liberty to place and maintain a suitable sign in front of the 

 rooms on State street. Until this time the Executive Committee 

 had no place to exhibit implements, of which they had a small 

 assortment presented to them; but as soon as these rooms were 

 opened, the collection rapidly increased, and the rooms were 

 soon filled. 



The Library of the Society, which had been commenced by 

 Judge Buel, was increasing by exchanges and donations, and 

 numbered in 1850, 600 volumes, and which has since been in- 

 creased to 2,017 volumes, and 900 pamphlets, 19 maps, 67 

 paintings, 10 engravings, and 12 medals. Agricultural imple- 

 ments and articles for farm use in Museum 167, 20 cases of seeds and 

 grains, five cases of insects, and three cases filled with miscellaneous 

 articles. Publications received : 12 foreign, 56 from this country, 

 in exchange mostly for the Transactions and Journal of the 

 Society. 



The rooms being entirely too limited for the objects of the So- 

 ciety, in 1852 a resolution was adopted at the annual meeting, 

 that a memorial be presented to the Legislature, asking for an 

 appropriation to enlarge the building, so as to accommodate the 

 Society and the collection of Natural History. 



In 1853, the Hon. T. C. Peters of Genesee, a warm and fast 

 friend of the agricultural interest, introduced a bill in the 

 Assembly fur the imiu'oving the old State Hall; but owing to tlie 

 state of the finances the bill was not passed. In 1854, the same 

 gentleman introduced a like bill, appropriating twenty-five thou- 

 sand dollars Ibr raising and rq)airiiig the old State Hall, and 

 building an addition thereto; and to the Hon. Robert H. Pruyn, 

 then Speaker of tlie Assembly, and the Hon. Mathias Hutchin- 

 son, of Cayuga, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, in 

 common with Mr. Peters, the Society is greatly indebted fur the 



