ANOVERSARY ADDRESS. 73 



that of the American Institute, was given at Portland, in Maine, 

 and in 1846 a national fair Avas held in Washington, for the display 

 of American products and manufactures. 



Before 1848, a society was organized in Rhode Island for the en- 

 couragement of domestic industry, wliich it has done, chief!}- by 

 getting up industrial exhibitions, and at about the same time the 

 Maryland Institute was established at Baltimore, which for many 

 years has had similar exhibitions. 



In 1853 the Metropolitan Mechanics' Institute of the city of 

 Washington, was founded, and gave industrial exhibitions annually 

 for several years. The Mechanics' Institute and Library Associa- 

 tion, of Tennessee, was established in 1855, and the society gave 

 exhibitions at Nashville, of Southern products and manufactures, 

 in the years 1855, 1856 and 1857. In 1856 the Kentucky Me- 

 chanics' Institute had a similar exhibition at Louisville, and in the 

 same year the Agricultural and Mechanical Association, of Mis- 

 souri, gave its first industrial fair at St. Louis. The second was 

 held in the saine city, in 1857, upon a very extensive scale, the 

 large sum of ^20,000 having been appropriated for distribution in 

 premiums. 



After the Legislature of New York had abandoned its system of 

 rewards and premiums, an attempt was made to keep up the 

 county agricultural societies, and in a few of the counties they 

 were established and incorporated under special acts. To give 

 greater effect to these local bodies, a general society was formed, 

 to improve the condition of agriculture, liorticulture and the house- 

 hold arts, which, in 1832, was incorporated by the title of the 

 State Agricultural Society, and in 1841, an act was passed appro- 

 priating the sum of $8000 annually for the promotion of agricul- 

 ture and household domestic manufactures in the State. It was, in 

 all its essential features, a restoration of the old law of 1819, a 

 specific sum being given to each county upon the same condition, 

 the officers of tlie State or county societies being required annually 

 to regulate and a\yard premiums upon such articles, production 

 and improvement, as tliey shall deem best calculated to promote 

 the agricultural and household manufacturing interests of the 

 State; the county societies being required to report their proceed- 

 ings annually to the State society, and the latter body to the Legis- 

 lature. The annual appropriation has been continued until the 

 present time, the publishing annually the report of the State 

 society, which has become a most valuable series, now extending 

 to 22 volumes. Under this law the American Institute has re- 

 ceived the sum appropriated to the city and county of New York, 



