State Agkicultukal Society. 217 



largelv with Agricultural subjects, the third deals almost en- 

 tirely with mechanics, while the fourth volume is miscellaneous 

 in character. Among the contributors may be named Robert R. 

 Livingston, Ezra L'Hommedieu, Samuel L, Mitchell and Simeon 

 DeWitt. These men laid the foundation of a great work, but the 

 society .they founded was not destined to carry it further; for in 

 1824 it " lost its agricultural character and became merged in 

 the Albany Institute." 



In the meantime the agricultural interests of the State were 

 transferred to another organization, April 7, 1819, the Legisla- 

 ture appropriated |10,000 per annum for two successive years to 

 be awarded to farmers in premiums by the county agricultural 

 societies which should raise an equal amount by voluntary sub- 

 scription. The act further provided that each county society 

 should choose one member to a board of agriculture which should 

 annually publish a volume at the expense of the State " to be 

 distributed to the good people." The board organized January 

 10, 1820; and, the annual appropriation being extended to six 

 years, continued its work until April, 1825. Three volumes, 

 similar in character to the Transactions of the former society 

 were published in 1821, 1823 and 1826. 



In February, 1832, eighty-seven " zealous and enlightened 

 friends of agriculture " met at an " agricultural convention " in 

 the capitol and organized the New York State Agricultural So- 

 ciety with LeRay deChaumont as president. April 26, 1832, seven 

 years after the Board of Agriculture went out of existence, this 

 new society was incorporated by act of the Legislature. The chief 

 work of the society as then organized was the publication of 

 agricultural essays, although at the second meeting, February, 

 1833, a memorial was presented to the Legislature asking that 

 provision be made for an agricultural school, and a resolution 

 was adopted that a fair be held in Albany and also in Kew York 

 during the following autumn. Accordingly, on the second Thurs- 

 day of October, 1833, the New York State Agricultural Society 

 held at Albany its first and only fair until after its reorganiza- 

 tion in 1841. This fair, it was said, '' although the first, fully met 

 public expectation." The agricultural essays referred to above, 

 together with the proceedings of the society were published in the 

 " Cultivator," a monthly journal founded by the society and circu- 



