TRANSACTIONS OF THE NEW YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
277 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE NEW YORK 
STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
I noticed in the July Agriculturist, some remarks 
on the last volume of Transactions of the State 
Agricultural Society, the sentiments of which corre¬ 
spond with my own ; and as I feel an interest in 
the progress of the Society, and the welfare of our 
farming interest generally, I beg leave, through your 
columns, to add a few observations on this subject. 
I have looked through the large volume of the last 
Transactions, and with considerable disappoint¬ 
ment saw no publication of several reports of com¬ 
mittees at the last Poughkeepsie Cattle Show, which 
I heard read at the time. I allude now particularly 
to the reports on horses and cattle. 
It was admitted by those generally who heard the 
reading of those reports at the time, that they were 
drawn up with great ability by their several com¬ 
mittees, who were, if I mistake not, composed of 
accomplished judges in their several departments, 
some of whom had come hundreds of miles, and 
one from a foreign country, to officiate on the occa¬ 
sion. These reports, as I understood at the time, 
were expected, both by the committees who made 
them, by the exhibitors of stock which were the 
subject of their remarks, and by the public who 
heard them read, to be published at length in the 
annual volume issued by the Society; and it appears 
to me, that if the Transactions of the Society are 
to be published at all, they should contain what they 
purport to, i.e., the bona fide Transactions of the 
Society. But I confess to you, as they now stand, 
they look pretty much like the playing of Hamlet, 
with the part of Hamlet left out. To be sure, 
there is a list of premiums published, but without 
the accompanying remarks of the committees on 
the animals, the reasons why, &c., &c., they appear 
vague and unmeaning. If the public are to gain any 
benefit from the exhibitions of the Society, and its 
publications, it is in their 'practical effects. Now, if 
its reports, and the remarks of its committees, made up 
with a good deal of labor, and a considerable sacrifice 
of their own time and expense in attending the 
shows, and the laborious work of examining all the 
various animals, productions, and implements con¬ 
fided to their charge for the best part of two days, as 
is usually tlie case, are to be thrown by as so much 
waste paper, as has been done in these above 
mentioned, who, of any ability in matters of this 
kind, will hereafter officiate as judging committees 
for the Society ? And if the exhibitors of animals of 
merit are to be turned off thus slightingly, with a 
mere announcement of what has received the pre¬ 
miums, without “ rhyme or reason,” or for why or 
for what, other animals, in their estimation, no better 
than their own, have received premiums in prefer¬ 
ence, how long will the large list of the disappointed 
competitors continue to send their animals for exhi¬ 
bition ? There is also something due to the success¬ 
ful exhibitors, if the viewing committees think proper 
to make remarks upon their animals, that such 
remarks be published. In fact, I know no good 
reason for these omissions on the part of the mana¬ 
gers of the State Society, unless it be from the inat¬ 
tention of those having charge of the papers which 
are to make up the volume. 
In relation to this, it appears that the labor of 
making up the last volume was consigned to a 
Committee of Publication, or something of the 
sort. This consisted of Dr. Beekman, a State senator. 
Dr. Lee, a member of assembly, both of whom had 
busy and responsible duties to perform in their seve¬ 
ral capacities as legislators, and Mr. Tucker, editor 
of the Cultivator. Now none of these .gentlemen 
had the necessary time to attend to it, and Mr. John 
J. Thomas, an assistant editor of the Cultivator 
(or at least a writer of some of its editorials), and 
a nurseryman of Wayne county, was sent for to 
supervise, select, and arrange the matter handed in for 
publication. The labor' therefore was thrown from 
the proper committee on to this one individual. 
With the manner in which this duty generally has 
been performed, I have no disposition to find fault; 
but I do object that legitimate and important matter, 
appertaining strictly to the society and its members, 
was thrown out, and much irrelevant material put in 
its place, such as essays on the agriculture of distant 
states and countries, which can have little practical 
effect on our own farmers ; and speeches, and gene¬ 
ral theoretic remarks, little useful to them, substi¬ 
tuted. I observe, too, that the papers of Mr. 
Thomas himself, making 50 pages—nearly one-tenth 
of the Transactions—have abundant room in this, as in 
the past volumes; well indeed in themselves, but not 
more exclusively useful than the actual reports of 
committees of the Society itself. I say this without 
disparagement or disrespect to either of the gentle¬ 
men above named; but really it would seem that if 
the Society has the funds which you say it has, 
and which is corroborated by the report of the trea¬ 
surer, a competent committee should be found who 
will devote the necessary time, and be paid their ex¬ 
penses at least, while in the performance of theii 
duty, without delegating it to others. 
Another thing seems to me should be done in point 
of fairness to our agricultural papers—the chief 
offices of the Society, Corresponding and Recording 
Secretaries, should not be conferred upon the editors 
of papers. I do not question their competency or 
disposition to do all that they can for the welfare of 
the Society, but is it not giving undue advantage to 
the papers thus under their control in appropriating 
the patronage of the Society to their own particular 
use ? I do not say that this is the case, but many 
people think so. The State Society officers should 
be placed above even the suspicion of such a thing as 
accepting an office for the sake of assisting a collateral 
interest. Why not appoint a secretary with good 
pay for his services, and not let all the operations of 
the Society be wielded by a single press or two for 
their own emolument ? Another thing, why are the 
Transactions made an ADVERTISING sheet for 
the benefit of certain stock-breeders who choose to 
badger the Society for the admission of their covert 
advertisements in the shape of laudation of their 
cattle, sheep, or pigs ? There is not only a meanness 
in the parties who solicit it, but a gross perversion of 
the uses of the Transactions themselves in their ad¬ 
mission. It should never be permitted again. If the 
Transactions are to be respected as the legitimate 
records of the Society, let all extraneous matter be ex¬ 
cluded until whatever is useful as appertaining to the 
Society itself be arranged for publication; and then, 
if there be room, such competent papers should be ad¬ 
mitted as will confer a benefit on the public. It is to 
be hoped that the future volumes of the Transactions 
