114 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Present—Messrs. B. R Hinldej, president; Wm, R Tay¬ 
lor, Saterlee Clark, Eli Stilson, Rufus Cheney and J. G. Thorp, 
Vice Presidents; Nelson Dewey, W. W. Field, C. Loftus 
Martin, J. 0. Eaton, N. S. Greene, J. H. Warren and L. B. 
Vilas, additional members, and J. W. Hoyt, secretary. 
President Hinkley, in the chair, said it was the object of the 
December meeting to close up the fiscal affairs of the society 
for the year and to attend to any general business that might 
come before the board. The fiscal year of 1870 had brought 
important results; relieving the society from all the embar¬ 
rassments under which it had labored temporarily, and leaving 
the treasury, as he presumed to say, in a highly satisfactory 
condition. 
The secretary asked the attention of the board to the pur¬ 
chase made by the president and himself on behalf of the so¬ 
ciety of the real estate known as the “ State Fair Grounds” at 
Madison, embracing fifty-three acres, and suggested the pro¬ 
priety of formal action upon the same by the board. For the 
better information of such members as had not learned all the 
details of the transaction, he would briefly recount what had 
been done by the president and secretary, with the reasons 
therefor. 
Previous to the fair of 1869, the said property, then belong¬ 
ing to what was known as the Bruen estate was advertised for 
sale at public auction, at Madison, on one of the days appointed 
for said exhibition. It was uncertain whether the society 
would receive acceptable propositions from any other locality 
for the holding of subsequent exhibitions. The said grounds, 
upon which several fairs had been held, were admirably adapt¬ 
ed to the use of the society. Moreover, they had been im¬ 
proved and fitted up by the Dane county stock and agricul¬ 
tural association at an expense of $15,000 ; which improve¬ 
ments were offered the state agricultural society, either as a do¬ 
nation or as a perpetual lease for future exhibitions, in case 
said society would purchase the real estate, and thus save the 
breaking up and practical loss of all that had been done to 
prepare them for its use. 
