state Agricultural Society. 



By W. B. TooLEY, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 



ITS HISTORY BRIEFLY OUTLINED. 



[Other brief sketches of the history of the New York State Agricultural 

 Society may be found in the first volume of the transactions of the so- 

 ciety, in the report of the U. S. Commissioner of Agriculture, 1875, and 

 in volume II of Public Service of the State of New York, edited by Hon. 

 Paul A. Chadbourne, D. D., LL. D. Also a history of the farmers' insti- 

 tute movement may be found in the volume of Transactions for 1895.] 



Now, at the beginning of the Twentieth century and at the time 

 of a great crisis in the history of the New York State Agricul- 

 tural Society, is a fitting occasion to look back over its previous 

 history and to note the influence it has exerted in improving the 

 condition of the American farmer. 



The present society has grown from the work of earlier organ- 

 izations. In 1791, there was organized " at a meeting of a respect- 

 able number of citizens at the Senate Chamber in the city of New 

 York " a " Society instituted in the State of New York for the 

 promotion of Agriculture, Arts and Manufactures," and Chan- 

 cellor Livingston was chosen president. The chief object con- 

 templated by this Society as then organized was the publication 

 of practical papers. May 1, 1804, the original charter expired. 

 In the new charter, which was granted April 2d of that year, the 

 name was changed to a " Society for the Promotion of Useful 

 Arts in the State of New York." The Society was, however, 

 practically unchanged, although it was intended that, besides the 

 original object, namely, that of publishing practical papers, the 

 organization should establish an experiment station and found 

 a library. Neither of these objects, however, was effected. The 

 four volumes of Transactions in which the above mentioned 

 papers were published appeared in parts and at irregular in- 

 tervals from 1792 to 1819, etc. The first and second volumes deal 



