The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-10-28
Annual Meeting or che Virginia state
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Annual Meeting or she Virginia state
;.YG .YGAgracuitural Seciesy. a;f .1gs
The sixteenth apnuai meeting Of The Vfr.
ginfa State Agricultural Society was! held In
the hail of the House of Delegates last eye
Ming. There wss very large number of
persons In attendance, many OF whom were
ladies. 80 - : = 80. 9
The President called the Society to order
at twenty minutes pist 8 o'clock, and the
Secretary read the proceedings Of the last
annual meeting. I'D .so5 iga4a s. si..s
ANNUAL REPORT. w,
The President next read the annual report
Of the Executive Committee.
The report comm ances with the statement
that the finances of the Society are as healthy
as the times and circumstances will permit.
The committee has labored at great cost for
the agricultural aud manufacturing Interests
Of the Stale, and they know that their work
has been seen. srs- 4, .s,i t.s.sg
The committee next review the history of
the Society, the difficulties which have SUR
rounded them since the y ar, and the various
| improvements made at their grounds. In
the past six years they have spent more than
! 100000 in improvements. They have made
an annual distribution in cash premiums OF
from sig to eight thousand dollars-in the
aggregate, including the preseat yelr, $780,
600. There is now floating debt of about
$9, 900; and 1t is hoped that TIE receipts
from this years fair will greatly reduce, If
not entirely extingu'sh, l.. The agencies for
life members in the Stale, the committee re-
gret, have not met their expectations.
The committee next refer to the address
of the President, recently published, and
| state that if the people will respond liberaily
the Society will be enabled to publish It's
proceedings and increase its premium lists,
| besides establishing in the Fsir-arouDds 8
cabinet OF minerals, accompanied by ply.
sical map of the counties showing soils, &c.
The committee recommend that applica.
ton be made to increase the capital stock,
which is now limited to 100000, and to
exempt the Society's property from taxation,
as the Society is purely beneficial in Its char
acter. 'i5'
The committee refer at some length, and
with regret, at the failure of the Legis.
lature to pass the bill making an annual ap-
preparation of $4,000 to employ geolosist
and establish a cabinet of minerals, &c.
In aliuding to the tobacco fair to be beld
here in August nexs the committee say that
the crop of the present year now gives war
rant for the belief that the fair of 1876 can be
made an event of peculiar interest to the
tobacco planters and dealers of the State.
The committee also allude to the harmony
and good feeling existing between the Pa.
irons of Husbandry and the Agricultural So
ciety of the State, and the committee deem
the special premiums offered in this line will
add much to the interest Of the people in the
fair. The committee urge the importance
of The publication of the transactions OF the
Society, and say that it would give much
valuable information to the Society and to
all agriculturs' into whose hands tie
publication might fall. 1t would relieve the
committee from the odium Of doing nothing
more than holding fair and cattle show,
and from the modification of being unable
to reciprocate with similar societies In other
States who send we'll. bound volumes OF their
tranactons. The committee hope to secure
sufficient number Of subscribers TO perl
odcal which they are endeavoring to pub.
lish to justify the Inauguration OF the
scheme. The Legislature declined to appro
pirate 81 900 to aid 10 this object.
The report next refers to the appointment
by the Society of delegates to other soc!e'
ties. The delegation to North Carolina were
especially plelsed with their cordial Iecep-
tion and the manifestations of the kindly re-
latioDs which exist between the people Oh Inc
two States.
The committee make hands ,me and ap.
propriate allusion to the unVeillng OF tne
Jackson statue, and Ie'er to a letter received
by President Knight from Governor KEN.
per asking for contribution to the expenses
incident 10 the occasion. The committee
saw they have no power under the constltu:
ton to use the means of the Society in this
direction, however much their hearts and feel.
ines NAV be responsive to the object.
TIE committee conclude BY surrendering
the trusts which the Society have reposed 10
them, with the assurance that they have dis
charged them faithfully and to the best OF
| their ability. =
On motion of Major R. w. N. Noland, the
report was adopted.
Major Noland presented resolution oi
| thanks to the Richmond and Danvllle, AT
lantic. Mississippi and Ohio, Washington
City, Virginia, Midland and Great Southern
| railroad, Richmond, Fredericksburg and
| Potomac Railroad Company, Richmond and
| Petersburg Railroad Company, and james
| River Steamboat Company. for their liberal
ity, &c., in Transporting articles for exhibl-
tion free of charge to and from Richmond
Agreed to.
! The ANNU AL AUDhEoss
| President knight next introduced Mr.. B.
Johnson Barbour, of Orange county, as the
orator for the occasion.
Mr.. Barbour began his address by giving 0
history of the Society from its birth to the
present time. He remembered distinctly ID
december, 1852, the small, and he might
style it the melancholy, band assembled in
| the hall of the House Of Delegates; thai
band who, in the darkest and most trying
hours, had never deserted the cause OF agri
culture. Twas before the days OF artificial
gas, and d few tallow candles gave US, salc
| be, the "traDspicious gloom" which oio
| Warborton thought was; q better reading
than Milton's " "Darkness Visible" !" and made
almost spectral figures Of the few who were
! scattered at irregular intervals over the nail
ssaworld too wide for this SPARTAN band
q canning through the semi dark ness was the
unouenchable fire that glowed in the eyes ol
oura members. President Edmund Ruf1u
ami, his still abundant locks were almost ra'
diant In their Whiteness. E:.l
! He then proceeded to detail, facetiously
but very interestingly, the advances the So
ciety has made since its organization. he
referred to the intimacy springing up De'
| tween the ,townsman and farmer. The
townsmap, he said, learns to take an enlight
ened interest In The hopes and plans OF the
farmer. and the farmer Ia turn learns to
abandon that unfrIendly criticism Of tastes
and customs which he finds are none the
worse simply because they are different from
| his own. The press, too, woke up TO the
fact that Mr. Burke was not far from wrong
when he declared that In every community
the first great creditor Is the plough
for whereas = they had Inserted oul
frst advertisement, as he took care to tel
them. between a lot Of tallow candles on she
one side and lot of damaged sole-leasher or