66 THE GROUNDSWELL. 



agriculture always was the dominant in fact, almost the ex 

 clusive interest there; more than this, however, from the 

 settlement of the country until about 1860, it was con 

 fined to special products, as, at first, tobacco, then cotton, and, 

 later, sugar ; these with blooded horses and cattle, comprising 

 the chief sources of wealth of the southern planter. In the 

 earlier history of the South, her clubs and societies were 

 composed of men of wealth and position, and, like the ear 

 lier kindred societies of Great Britain, were exclusive in 

 their nature. 



More recently, Agricultural Societies in the South have 

 taken on a more popular character, and the last five years 

 has witnessed a wonderful, increase in the number of clubs 

 and similar organizations, which have had the effect to re 

 awaken interest in this rich and diversified portion of our 

 common country, and to induce emigration thither. It is 

 to be hoped that this will be the means of developing the 

 immense resources of this fertile region. 



CLUBS IN NEW YORK. 



A society for the &quot; Advancement of Agriculture&quot; was in 

 corporated in New York in 1791, but it became defunct 

 after a brief existence of ten years. In 1792, the Legisla 

 ture of the same State incorporated another organization, 

 under the title of the &quot; Society for the Promotion of Agri 

 culture, Manufactures, and Arts,&quot; and again, in 1804, a 

 &quot;Society for the Promotion of Useful Arts,&quot; in the recital 

 of which arts, agriculture is first named. This society 

 published seven volumes of Transactions previous to 1815. 



The New York State Agricultural Society held its first- 

 regular fair in 1840, the small sum of twelve and a half 

 cents being charged for admission. Since that time the so. 



