No. 199.] 81 



of a north-east rain slorm, so much so as to prevent many citizens 

 from joining us. The President of the Institute, the Hon. James 

 Tallmadge, and Ex-President John Tyler, with Mr. Gardiner, of 

 Gardiner's Island, Mr. Ogden, of Chicago, the Recording Secretary 

 of the Institute, several managers of the Fair, Hon. David Banks, 

 Alanson Nash, Esq., Hon. William Mitchell, Judge of the Superior 

 Court, Sylvanus Miller, Esq., W. W. White, Esq., city inspector, 

 Martin Ellsworth, Esq., of Windsor, Conn,, I. Black\vell,Esq., Hon. 

 Singleton Mitchill, of Plandome, brother of the Hon. Samuel h. 

 Mitchill, so well known for his enthusiasm in the cause of learning 

 and the arts, — and others. Some members of the great Pomological 

 Convention. A band of nineteen musicians politely ordered on this 

 occasion to the field of action, by Col. Crane, of Governor's Island 

 were on board. On the way to the field, the threatening clouds began 

 to separate, and during the rest of the day, pleasantly shaded the 

 plowmen, the spadesmen, and the company. On arriving at Flush- 

 ing, your committee were placed by order of the Queens county So- 

 ciety, in a large covered vehicle which was drawn by ninety-eight 

 oxen, in pairs, attached to the chains, through Flushing to the field. 

 It was a pleasant sensation to experience the immense power of that 

 team on the way, and the reflection that right ahead moved an hun- 

 dred thousand weight of beef, available at the termination of the 

 agricultural labors of those noble creatures. The rain which had 

 fallen rendered the sod and soil of the field in, excellent condition for 

 the plow and the spade. 



The arrangements made by the Hon. John A, King, President of 

 the State Agricultural Society, in conjunction with his committee 

 and A. G. Carle, Esq., the Secretary, and our committee were all 

 complete. The plow-lands staked off in parallel rows, contained 

 each one-eighth of an acre. Various plows were in competition, 

 among others a Siarbuck plow, of Troy, one of the same mould as 

 that star of a plow now shining brightly in the Castle Garden. 



There being a citizen on the field who had filled the Presidential 

 seat of the RepubUc, he was invited to put his hand to the first plow 

 and open the first furrow. With perfect cheerfulness the Ex-Presi- 

 dent, John Tyler, did so, and joined Morris Kelly, Mr. King's plow- 



FAssemblv. No. 199.1 6 



