Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-11-03
VIRGINIA STATE AGRICULTURAL soCIET,

VIRGINIA STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
Tho Virginia State Agricultural Society held 4 meet
ing OIL Monday night, October 3O,h at tho African
Church. The President Of the Society, Philip ST
Geo. Cooke, read his report containing recommcndn
tions for important changes in the organization Of th
Society. The report Of the Executive Committee
was thon read by the Secretary, and is as follows
Report Of tic Erecptire Committee Of the Virginia
STATE Agr'cnitnral Society,"
The Executive Committee in discharge Of theil
duty TO make report TO said Society submit the fol-
lowing:
The Society at its last meeting unanimously order
cd the election OF permanent secretary and the exc
cutive committee about to depart fnr their severn
homes, and seeing the immediate necessity of elect
ing such officer charged ut once Ia enter upon the
performance Of his duties elected Mr.. Frank &. Ruff
fin 10 that post, deeminS him the most suitable per
son they could hnd.
The next step to be taken view OF then
finances in order 10 meet the expenditure necessary t
accomplish the othur objects Of the Society. The,
found their funds scant the report of the treasur,
will more fully show, and their means Of operation
correspondingy limited
At the meeting of the Society last fall appea
made 10 the members to endow 1t by means o
Individual contributions, and by guaranteeing thci
respective counties TO raise such sums rs might seer
proper to them. The response to that appeal wa
credable to tho generosity and public spirit OF Nlr
glnih INDIVIDUALS Tor themselves anu luI tuelI couH
tes, and for their cities also, came forward and gunr
anteed certain SUN amounting to upwards OF thirty
thousand dollars.
In addition to this fund there was another of the
same nature previously existing, which sweled TIT
first named amount to dollars. This whole
amount the constitution requires to be permanent!
vested, the interest thereon only to be used by the
executive committee.
The money pledged, except in n few cases Of ex
pressed reservatiun became duo on the first OF May
,l,. a
good deal still remains due and unpaid This remark il
not made in any spirit of censure against the gentle
men who gave the pledges many OF whom we know
have been put 10 Inconvenience by their hberality
but merely to explain for other reasons the state o
funds at the societys disposal. Nor is it meant to
convey the idea that any serious deficiency is expect
ed to result from the tarducss OF some gentlemen
and the defaults, If there shall be any, OF othcrs 81
far from it, il ia expected that the surplus contrbu
IONS of several counties, particularly o some on the
Sratn-Side OF JAMES river, will nearly, II not quite
atone for all such delinquences
The whole permanent fund has been invested first
in the Savings Bank of this city, where each deposit
drew its of Interest," and afterwards, al ruc-
cessive accumuat0ns made It necessary to do So IN
stock of the city of Richmond according to an order
OF the executive committee, which required the rea.
surer to invest in stocks Of the city OF Richmond, or
Of tho State of Virginia, preicrriny the kind for which
the lowest premium required by the then existing
market rates, and having due reference to the time
As these Investments have, for the most part, been
recently made very few of them have as yet produced
any " tho society; and the executive COM
lnttee, having IN eye to current and accrulng do
mands have not felt authorized to invade 1t for pur-
poses to which, otherwise, they would gladly have ap-
propriatcd it.
In addition to this source of revenue, there IL the
still uncertain supply furnished by the controu-
tions of annual members, now amounting to more
than five thousand who pay each 81 the first year OF
h,;r .l,,iv IN fhn III AL
thereafter, 40 long they remain members. VI this
number many owe more than the annual contribution,
very few owe less; but what each owes and what Is
the aggregate of the whole, cannot now he Known
After consultation rs to the best mode oil collecting
hese sums the Secretary directed to employ the
,hers of the different counties, where no more suta-
b agency could be obtained, to collect ut rate "f
not to exceed ten per cent, rate
deemed so small that it WAS in every instance o ap-
,licction ACCOMPANIED by an appeal to the public
,prit of those officers. The accounts have 30 far been
,ent to as many of these officers, as have sGnifcd
their willingness to undertake the collection upon the
terms proposed. But it is to be regretted that III
large proportion of the counes the shcrlis nave NOT
up To this time replied to the circulars addressed to
HEM and have thus authorized the Inference that
hey decline acting altogether, whilst the Secretary
from want of information, except i'll few places, has
not been enabled select any other agent, and the
payment Of dues from them cannot DC eXpecteu 10 any
great extent.
What the sums to be collected may amount to can
not now be told from the facts, lst that i'll the hurry
Of recording the Of the numbers that applied
for admission last fall many mistakes were made
which the individuals themselves can alone correct
audi Cd that the sheriifs will hardly make returns un-
Ill they collect their taxes But it is estimated that
the whole amount to be collected, the money expect
Ell from new annual members and what may be taken
in at the gate during the fair will not much exceed.
{ at ALL the expenses of the exhibition and the de-
nands Of the premiumls list.
Anxious to obtain means which should enable them
10 enter upon the discharge Of their duties on be-
coming SCALE the Executive Committee rs soon az
he Legislature granted to the Society charter
which merely gave the necessary vitality of cor
,oratiun, applied to that body for endowment OF
,undred thousand dollars to be invested in the stock
# the State, and granted on terms and with hmtn-
IONS which il WIS thought would ensure Its success
But though bill to this effect passed the Senate with
me dissenting voice of those present, q degree oi
,naninity believed to have qeen attained by no other
law measure, yet il never reached Oh tho caen-
lar in the House of Delegates, but with every rea-
onabc assurance of its passage IT 1t had been taken
d. it was LOST through tue unfortunate dissensloii aS
0 other MEASURES which arc kioWh u nave "rSeh ~
hat honorable body.
In the month Of March last, Mr.. Edmund Ruthn
vus appointed by the unanimous Vote OF the members
present, Agricultural Commissioner for the PERIOD OF
light months. Soon afterwards he entered upon MS
iaties and has gratuitousiy performed sanaIy saIa
Die services which will be found in his report to the
Executive Committee, which will ut proper time be
to the Society.
hlstnbe regretted that no means have been devised
or publishing the transactions of the Society Ihe
ales al which all publishers proposed to PRINT them
oroado the publication and after proper enquiry all
ieslsn OF doing so suspended for the present.
et me nope Is entertained that some means will be
peediiy devised to accomplish this important object.
~ arrangements for appointing al Agricultural
neniss 70 lne society or for connecting the Socie-
y, with some one or Of the Colleges of the State
we're not prosecuted to the completion for the same
.snt Of means and it il Questionable if any plan Of
hat kind can be jpdciously and scientifically carried
ut untii the iessiature, BY endowing the Society,
ide for thorough Geological survey and eIplora-