The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-01-24
VIRGINIA STATE AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.

VIRGINIA STATE AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
The languishing condition of this Society is
subject of deep regret to all its friends. 1t
has been found that the farmers cannot be
brought together for the purpose, merely, Of
holding formal session, comparing notes, lis
tening to an address, and hearing number Of
speeches, some of them very good, it is true,
and all of them suggestive, yet not sufficiently
valuable TO justify the loss of the time spent in
travelling from home and remaining several
days. Some of those most active in promo
ting the prosperity of the Society, have taken
into serious consideration what they deem the
most feasible plan for stimulating its members
10 teractivity, and the expedient they pro-
pose appears 10 US to be an excellent one. 1t
is to get up a Cattle Show, to he held at
the same time, and in connection with the
meeting. If anything can impart vitality TO
the wretched skeleton of Society, whose
very bones seem to be moulderng away, IN
spite of all efforts to galvanise it into existence,
we should think II would be this.
There is a class OF persons, the most nfuen-
tial, probably, in the city, to whose interests
such an addition TO the Society would appeal
in manner which they could neither overlook
nor misunderstood. We allude to the mer-
chants-to those persons who are more indis-
solub!y connected with the farmer and his
prosperity, than any olhers-whose profits rise
and fall with the good crops ofthe country, as
regularly as the barometer rises and falls with
the weather. The merchants, we should sup
pose, would come forward and lend all the
assistance in Their power, 10 scheme so full
OF promise for them, so evidently conducive to
the extension of their relations, and the in.
crease of their customs. This, we have no
doubt, they will cheerfully do for they are
too sharp-si GIFTED not to see the advantages
which the mercantile interest in other quar-
tiers has derived from similar Institutions. Eve
rything that has q tendency TO bring numbers
OF persons together, In city, is beneficial to
such persons therein, as have anything 10 sell.
Let any retail merchant ask himself what
would be the effect upon his sales, Of the as
semblage in Richmond, once a year, of or
10000 persons, all of them, as would be the
case, having more or less money in their pock-
cts. He will say, at once, that the stimulant
to trade would be great and immediate. Yet
il is not the immediate sales, alone, that are of
consequence. By bringing the farmer of the
country here, we offer him inducements to deal
regularly. He sees what we have, and when
he wants he will come here to supply himself.
II is great means of advancing the trade
with the country merchants.
We dislike to propose Baltimore as pat-
tern for anything, for she has already sucked
our lifeblood TO such degree, that we regard
her with very much the same feeling that we
should a vampire. Yet in matters which con.
Germ her own interest, she may be studied with
advantage. Our merchants, then, our hotel
keepers, our mechanics, ard our citizens of
all callings, will do well to observe, while she
is engaged in the more important work of ia
king all our western commerce from US, how
attentive she is to such comparatively and
only comparatively small affair as this. Every
thing that money or exertion can do to render
her Cattle Shows attractive, she has done. In
October last, one of these grand affairs was
held in Baltimore, and there Were ptesent at it
no less than thirty thousand persons. Let our
merchants, etc., reflect for moment on the
enormous sums which must have been dis
bursed by such multitude, all of them having
wants, and all Of them mon y to crafty them.
We learn that the State Society will meet in
March, for the purpose of "gettin~ up" the
proposed Cattle Show, ,r at least OF endsavor
ing TO do so. They invite the cooperation OF
the merchant, the mechanic, the farmer, the
miller--of all, la one word, who feel an int.
rest in the prosperity of their State. The State
has been asked to lend helping hand bu,
the gentlemen at the Capitol are SO busy in
doing nothing that they have no time to de-
vote to anything else. Such being the condi
ton OF affairs. the Society have put their owl
shoulders to the wheel, and they call on The
public-the true Hercules-for help.