1270 New York JState Agkicultuhal Society 



Chairman Tucker: Any remarks on this report will now be 

 very welcome. There being none, the report will go to the com- 

 mittee on resolutions and b}' them be referred to the society. 



Hon. Jaimes W. Wadsworth — Ex-speaker of the Assem- 

 bly : In moving the adoption of the report I shcnld like 

 to make a few comments on the second portion of that re- 

 port in reference to the qualified approval of an amendment 

 before the legislature appropriating $25,000 to provide $600 a 

 year to any county bureau which through its comity authorities 

 contributes a like sum. This question of county bureaus and this 

 first eft'ort to extend state aid to them opens up a very wide field 

 for discussion. 1 think the gentleman from Long Island, ]\[r. 

 Fullerton, earlier in the proceedings commented upon the apparent 

 increase of the number of government agencies which are seeking 

 to take part in the extension of agriculture and in the effort to 

 improve the conditions of agriculture in this state. If I am cor- 

 rectly informed a recent offer has been made by the federal gov- 

 ernment and is now being taken advantage of by some of the 

 counties, by which the federal government is to appropriate or has 

 already appropriated a certain sum to any county which shall 

 establish an agricultural bureau and contribute a certain sum of 

 money and appoint a director who shall act as it seems in an 

 advisory capacity — although his functions would seem to be 

 rather vague — to the people who live in that county, and who ap- 

 parently is to be under a certain degree of supervision from the 

 federal government. Far be it from me to contend against con- 

 tributions from the federal government, in aid of agriculture in 

 this or any other state ; but I think it would be a wise thing for the 

 society in a general way to pause a moment and consider whether 

 we shall not take some notice of this tendency to scatter all our 

 shot. A very interesting address has been made by a representa- 

 tive of the Department of Education here which shows that that 

 department is doing excellent work in the support of agricultural 

 education. It is doing it apparently on its own hook and doing it 

 I have no doubt, efticiently. The Commissioner of Agriculture, 

 whose first function is the enforcement of the agricultural law, 

 also takes part in the support of agricultural education and does 

 it, excepting when he is willing to cooperate with other agencies, on 



