SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



It would afford your Secretary very great pleasure to be able 

 to report that all the officers of the Society exerted themselves to 

 their utmost, that the members were all thoroughly awakened and 

 displayed an interest in the welfare of the Socj^ty, such as has 

 not been known these many years, that the number of contribu- 

 tors had largely increased and filled the hall and grounds to over- 

 flowing with their stock, their productions, their manufactures, 

 their fine arts and fancy articles, that the people, old and young, 

 for miles around, fully appreciated the efforts that were being 

 made and all the benefits to be derived from the existence in our 

 midst of a wide-awake agricultural society, and turned out in full 

 force to view the exhibition prepared for them, making it neces- 

 sary to procure an extra number of gate-keepers and ticket-sellers, 

 and that the twenty-sixth annual exhibition of the Hampshire Ag- 

 ricultural Society was in every respect a grand success ; for as if all 

 nature were in sympathy with so noble a work, on both days of 



the Fair the remarkably favorable weather there's the rub ! It 



wasn't favorable at all, but was unfavorable enough to baffle all 

 the efforts of the officers, the zeal of the members, the earnestness 

 of the competitors, and the good- will of the populace. There was 

 no lack of effort, and the result was a fine exhibition in the hall 

 and an excellent show of stock on the grounds the first day, but 

 the second day was the worst cattle-show day in our experience. 

 This seriously affects the treasury by putting the balance on the 

 wrong side, for the first day of our exhibition is the day when a 

 very large proportion of the premiums are awarded, and the sec- 

 ond day is depended upon to furnish quite as large a proportion 

 of the funds. The only consolation we have under the circum- 



