Commissioner of Agriculture. 569 



amount shall be paid to any such society, club or exhibition in 

 which the actual amount paid by it as such premiums in the year 

 preceding such apportionment, is less than five hundred dollars. 

 All revenues which have been or shall be received by the comp- 

 troller, and not distributed as heretofore provided, and all moneys 

 received by him from the tax collected from racing associations 

 pursuant to chapter one hundred and ninety-seven of the laws of 

 eighteen hundred and ninety-four, and chapter five hundred and 

 seventy of the laws of eighteen hundred and ninety-five, and all 

 acts amendatory thereto, or hereafter otherwise collected from 

 racing associations, corporations or clubs, shall constitute a fund 

 which shall be annually 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. Thirty per 

 centum of the funds so collected shall be disbursed by the com- 

 missioner of agriculture among the agricultural societies^ clubs 

 or exhibitions of the state, which had not previous to May twenty- 

 ninth, eighteen hundred and ninety-five, received appropriations 

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

 distributed equally and the remainder in proportion to the premi- 

 ums awarded and paid by said society, club or exposition for 

 exhibits made at the annual fair upon the awards or premiums 

 of which they seek a portion of the money to be distributed. Such 

 sums shall only be paid to societies now organized and in active 

 operation in counties having a population according to the census 

 of eighteen hundred and ninety-two of over three hundred and 

 twenty-five thousand inhabitants, or which shall have held fairs, 

 annually, during each of the three years prior to May twenty-ninth, 

 eighteen hundred and ninety-five, and which shall have paid, at 

 their annual meeting or fairs during such three years, not less 

 than one thousand dollars in the aggregate as premiums for 

 agricultural, mechanical and domestic products, exclusive of the 

 premiums paid for trials or tests of speed, skill or endurance of 

 man or beast. Seventy 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 Ameri- 



