No. 149.] 161 



Resolved, That a committee he appointed to enquire into and 

 report upon the expediency of the " Rensselaer County Agricul- 

 tural Society ," granting or awarding premiums on residences, 

 country seats, or gardens, or for beautifying and adorning the 

 same, and that a committee report a suitable plan for the consid- 

 eration of the Society in relation thereto would respectfully sub- 

 mit the following report : 



That the deep and abiding interest which has for years been 

 exhibited by the members of this society in agricultural improve- 

 ments, is not confined to that subject alone. It has not only ex- 

 tended a generous and liberal patronage to the honest tiller of 

 the soil, to the industrious and laboring mechanic, to the daily 

 tolling manufacturer by the side of the flowing stream, or the 

 pondrous steam engine, but has likewise extended its beneficent 

 and fostering care to tlie " Fine Arts" as well as to the Florist 

 and Culturist, and they too have, by their untiring exertions, 

 improved the knowledge of the " Arts," and of the science of 

 gardening in all its departments, and the skillful artisan lias in- 

 troduced newly invented implements into general use. Thus we 

 see that the various branches of the industrial pursuits of the 

 country receive the attention which they so eminently deserve. 



The subjects embraced in the resolutions have attracted the 

 attention of those whose affections for " hearths, homes, and rural 

 scenery," render them the advocates as well as the admirers of 

 " beauty and style," as illustrated by the beautifying and adorn- 

 ing of the homes of their childhood, or of their maturer years. 



The tijne has arrived when "country seats" are and have 

 become fashionable, and "fashion rules the world." People 

 begin to view with pride and pleasure the fine grounds and gar- 

 dens of the tasteful farmer, who has had the foresight and saga- 

 city to improve and cultivate his grounds, and to give the ap- 

 pearance of his dwelling an air of comfort and enjoyment, which 

 is so delightful to the beholder as well as to the occupant. 



The love of rui-al life is rapidly gaining ground in this coun- 

 try. People prefer to enjoy the delights of the country during 

 the summer months, and to breathe the air of heaven free and 



[Assembly, No. 149.] L 



