286 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



Their fair of 1890, which continued in Boston for about 

 two months, profited them to the extent of $60,000. 



Can we not in Massachusetts succeed in preserving a 

 State agricultural exhibition of live stock, produce, etc., by 

 adopting the triennial system of the Charitable Mechanics' 

 Association, in some form that shall unite all agricultural 

 interests in the State in one triennial fair, based on purely 

 agricultural principles ? It would seem that this suggestion 

 might be developed into such a success that breeders and 

 producers would regularly vie to secure all available space, 

 to such an extent that our best hopes would be realized. 

 Could the State afford to guarantee against loss to the amount 

 of $10,000, if not donate that amount triennially ? 



In New York State the annual appropriation to the State 

 Agricultural Society is, as I have said, near $17,000; but 

 that includes a requirement for work which is here largely 

 placed under the direction of our State Board of Agriculture, 

 by its power over the annual bounty to agricultural societies. 



Can this Board formulate rules to so* direct the use of 

 that bounty as to bring about more benefit to the State's 

 agriculture than is now the case ; and do any of the societies' 

 annual printed reports, or "transactions," give us any 

 evidence to suggest the possibility of such action doing good ? 



There are practical difficulties in the way of keeping our 

 older county societies up to our ideal standard, as we all 

 know ; and much less can we expect to reach that standard 

 at the fairs of the smaller societies. But it is desirable to 

 preserve these annual meetings, and the local management 

 must be responsible for the methods employed without undue 

 interference from outside. We must all recognize the value 

 that pure and complete agricultural fairs, aiming for the 

 improvement of agriculture and her products, can be to the 

 State, if held in the best location, with regularity as to time ; 

 and all county and local societies could well occasionally 

 join in making a State fair a grand success. It must prove 

 of as much value to all our local agricultural societies to 

 have an extensive and purely agricultural fair at proper 

 intervals in the State, as it is to our educational system to 

 have in existence the invaluable assistance of our normal 

 schools. Both are educational 



