AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHY, THE MOST USEFUL, AND THE MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN, — Washington. 
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PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY ALLEN & CO., 189 WATER ST. 
VOL. XI.] NEW-YOBK, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1854. [NUMBER 23. 
for prospectus, terms, $ c „ 
SEE LAST PAGE. 
NEW-YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The Annual Meeting of the New-York State 
Society was held in the Hall of the House of 
Representatives, at Albany, 8th inst. The fol¬ 
lowing is the list of officers chosen for the 
present year: 
President. —WILLIAM KELLY, Rhinebeck, 
Dutchess county. 
Vice Presidents. — J. C. Jackson, New York; 
A. B. Conger, Rockland; Geo. Vail, Renss- 
aeler; LeRoy Mo wry, Washington; J. C. 
Woodruff, Onondaga; J. Barber, Cortland; 
D. H. Abell, Livingston; S. M. Burroughs, 
Orleans. 
Corresponding Secretary. —B. P. Johnson, 
Albany. 
Recording Secretary. —E. Corning, Jr., Al¬ 
bany. 
Treasurer. — B. B. Kirtland, Rensselaer. 
Executive Committee. —Edgar C. Dibble, 
Genesee; Elon Comstock, Oneida; Chas. Mor¬ 
rell, Tompkins; T. B. Arden, Putnam; Am¬ 
brose Stevens, New York. 
The report of the committee, appointed last 
year to take into! consideration the subject of 
selecting two or more places to hold the future 
annual fairs of the Society, was then made. 
The report strongly urged -r the propriety of 
selecting two places to which’the Society should 
limit their exhibitions. The conclusions of the 
committee were, however, strongly controverted 
by General Burroughs, of Orleans, and others 
of the members present, and the report was not 
adopted. The perambulating habits of the 
Society are therefore to be continued hereafter, 
and after a 'full consideration of the pros and 
cons on this subject, we are^ inclined to the 
belief that this will be most decidedly for the 
interests of the Society. If it incurs something 
more of expense and trouble, and the shows 
are not in all cases so full or conveniently ar¬ 
ranged, the general result will be more satis¬ 
factory, and for this reason, we think, more 
useful. This Society is eminently a democratic 
one, and its success, and indeed its very exist¬ 
ence, depends on its popularity with the masses, 
and these will only be propitiated by an occa¬ 
sional show, at a point which may be the most 
convenient to them. 
The next, and only other engrossing topic of 
the meeting, was the , location of the show the 
present year. The committee appointed to 
determine this had by a small majority, reported 
in favor of holding it at the city of New York. 
This conclusion was strongly opposed by Sev¬ 
eral leading members, who deemed it a dese¬ 
cration to bring the affairs of the Society into 
such close proximity with "the emporium of 
commerce and the arts. The report was, how¬ 
ever, ably defended by Messrs. King, of Queen, 
Stevens, of New York, Allen, of Erie, and 
others, and after a close vote, was carried in 
favor of this city. On New York, therefore, 
rests the onus, and we hope also it may prove 
the honor, of providing for the forthcoming show, 
which a reasonable exertion on the part of its 
friends, we trust will make the most effective 
and remunerating agricultural exhibition ever 
held in the United States. A persevering and 
united effort on the part of its friends is all that 
is necessary to secure these results. 
The exhibition of fat cattle was very good. 
A large number were at the Bull’s Head, and 
generally were well-bred meritorious beasts. Yet 
we believe there were not more than two or 
three thorough-bred animals, though a majority, 
were crosses of our best breeds. There is very 
great room for improvement in this department, 
which we are confident we shall realize within 
the few succeeding years. Most of our pure 
breeds are too valuable to be turned into beef, 
and it will not be till we are more fully supplied 
with them, that they can be appropriated to the 
shambles. Three remarkably fat, spayed heif¬ 
ers, and one ox, pure red, and worthy of the 
Devon blood, were shown, and; proved the very 
superior qualities'of the breed for beef. 
Only a few head of fat sheep were on the 
ground, and with the exception of some three 
or four, were not peculiarly 'creditable to the 
exhibition. Some fine carcasses wero exhibited, 
though the display of good meats was rather 
meagre, and much inferior to that of last year. 
No fat pigs were on exhibition, but there 
were a very few dressed swine of very superior 
quality. One pig, 9 months and 13 days old, 
raised by J. Winnie, weighed 380 pounds live 
weight, and dressed 336 pounds, a loss of only 
one-eighth in dressing. We inquired of the 
owner its breed and treatment. He said it was 
mostly China, and had been fed chiefly on boiled 
corn. Later in the season it had, in common 
with some half dozen others, the offal from a 
dairy of three cows, boiled pumpkins, soft corn, 
&c., with a free run at all times of a good grass 
pasture. This is the true way, and the only 
way in our opinion of making pork raising pro¬ 
fitable in the eastern portion of the United 
States; and with great deference to the ideas 
and practice which generally prevails at the 
South and West, we believe it the true way of 
making the utmost profit from swine there and 
elsewhere. Col. Sherwood, of Cayuga, exhi¬ 
bited three remarkably fine specimens of Suffolk 
swine, which were not destined for the butcher 
till their breeding capacity shall be exhausted. 
There were very fine samples of grain, though 
these were much less abundant than we have a 
right to expect from’so large a State. We think 
the interests of the producers would be largely 
promoted by increasing the number of samples, 
and make this in some measure a fair or marlcet, 
where buyer and seller can both meet to ex¬ 
change the choice seeds of the former for the 
money of the latter. 
The Poultry Exhibition, under the^auspices of 
tho Society, was very meager in its extent, 
though it contained some choice specimens of 
fowls. This was owing to tho large exhibition 
of the separate Poultry Society, held at the same 
time in Albany, which from the superior inter¬ 
est and competition excited, drew off most of 
the fancy birds. The latter was truly a grand 
affair of its kind, and was by far the most merit¬ 
orious exhibition of poultry, both in excellence 
and number, we have ever seen. 
The show of dairy products was quite limited ; 
and the display of fruits much less than last 
year. But there were many very fine specimens 
of apples, pears, and grapes. The two latter 
fruits arc destined, ere long, to be raised in large 
quantities for winter use. We know of no for¬ 
eign luxuries so desirable and wholesome, and 
at the same time so economical to the consu¬ 
mer, as our best native fruits. And we know of 
none either so remunerating to the producer. 
We look for the production not only of these, 
but of other of our more delicate fruits, such 
as the peach, the plum, &c., (to be preserved by 
some new and more perfect process than hith¬ 
erto adopted, by which their peculiar flavor and 
aroma will be retained,) in such quantities, that 
our tables may groan under the weight of these 
lucious viands, instead of the crude, half-ripe or 
half-spoiled foreign fruits that now occasionally, 
and at high prices, grace our boards. 
THE SARSAPARILLA PLANT. 
WnEN any vegetable product becomes so 
popular in pharmacy as sarsaparilla, it is im¬ 
portant that tho public should bo protected 
from fraud, by those whose time is devoted to 
the determination of botanical characters, and 
the affinities of species. The greater the de¬ 
mand for any commodity which is limited in 
supply, the greater is the inducement to specu¬ 
lators to palm off a spurious substitute upon 
the consumer, especially where species similar 
in outward appearance to the genuine, can be 
obtained at a fraction of the cost. The large 
quantity of sarsaparilla used in this, and other 
countries, and the facility with which it may be 
counterfeited, gives to unprincipled dealers a 
ready means of cheating the public, while the 
