5G2 Third Annual Report of the 



institute, exclusive of premiums paid for trials or tests of speed, 

 skill or endurance of man or beast. All revenues collected by the 

 state comptroller and jet undistributed from the tax collected 

 from racing associations, pursuant to chapter one hundred and 

 ninety-seven of the laws of eighteen hundred and ninety-four, 

 shall constitute a fund which shall be disbursed on behalf of the 

 state for prizes for improving the breed of cattle, sheep and 

 horses at the various fairs throughout the state, as hereinafter 

 prescribed. Twenty-five per centum of the funds so collected 

 shall be disbursed by the commissioner of agriculture among the 

 agricultural societies, clubs or expositions of the state, which 

 have not, previous to the passage of this act, received appropria- 

 tions from the state as follows: One-third shall be apportioned 

 and distributed equally, and the remainder in proportion to an- 

 nual premiums paid during the past year by such society. Such 

 sum shall only be paid to societies which have held fairs annually 

 during each of the three years next preceding the passage of 

 this act, and which have paid at their annual meeting or fairs 

 during such three years, not less than one thousand dollars in 

 the aggregate as premiums for agriculture, mechanical and do- 

 mestic products, exclusive of the premiums paid for trials or 

 tests of speed, skill or endurance of man or beast, and which 

 shall file a statement of the amounts actually paid as such pre- 

 miums during the past year, duly verified by the president and 

 treasurer, with the commissioner of agriculture and the comp- 

 troller on or before the first day of July, eighteen hundred and 

 ninety-five. Seventy-five per centum of such funds shall be dis- 

 bursed by the commissioner of agriculture among the various 

 county agricultural societies throughout the state, and the Amer- 

 ican Institute, in the city of New York, as follows: One-half shall 

 be apportioned and distributed equally, and the remainder in 

 proportion to the actual premiums paid during the previous year 

 by such societies and institute, exclusive of premiums paid for 

 trials or tests of speed, skill or endurance of man or beast. If 

 there is no county agricultural society in any county, or it is not 

 in active operation as such, the money which the county society 



