The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-11-30
MIDDLE FLORIDA AaRlCULTURAL AND
MECHANICAL ASSOCIATION. /


proud Of It.
1t is no Close corporation" intended only for
local bene6a, bat embraces In its purposes the
welfare and progress Of the entire section known
- Middle Florida, . district comprising the very
cream Of the agricultural interests of the State,
and composed OF the ten counties Of Gadsden,
Liberty, Franklin, Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson,
Madison, Taylor. Lafayette and Hamilton.
Only one of these ten counties, Gadsden, has
an agricultural fair association with grounds and
buildings, and It Is therefore the more important
that the work of the Association should be fully
known and its efforts sustained hereafter In every
county in the district
The Articles of Incorporation declare the pur-
poses Of Incorporation 10 be " the exhibition Of
the agricultural and mechanical productions of
Middle Florida, as well as the products of all
other industries Of this section by the holding of
fairs and such other exhibitions as may be deemed
proper and advisable; having in view the reward
of thrift and enterprise, the stimulation of the
development of the resources of the aforesaid
section of the State, and the encouragement of
immigration" And the Sixth Article provides
that " when the citizens of any other county of
Middle Florida shall have subscribed TO the stock
of the Association to an amount for which the
payment shall be three hundred dollars, such
county shall be entitled to one Director additional
TO the number hereinbefore provided, to be elec-
ted by the Board of Directors, subject to the ap
prevail of meeting of stockholders" The num-
Der of Directors previously provided for in the
Articles is nine, and the Third Article provides
that all subscribers to stock will be required to
pay fifty per cent. of the amount of stock sub
scrbed for at the time of such subscription, and
the balance upon the call of the President and
Directors of the Association"
Under these Articles the people of Leon county
subscribed for stock in The Association to the
amount of nearly 5000. upon all of which the
required fifty per cent was paid in and on some
of ii one hundred per cent. A beautiful tract of
land, lying exactly one mile north of the city
limits, was purchased enclosed with substantial,
high, tight board fence, and suitable buildings
were erected, consisting Of q ticket Office secre-
tarys Office, stables, grand stand, toilet rooms for
ladies and main building two stories high and
80 by 60 feet in size. A wide avenue leading
from the city limits TO the fair grounds was con-
struced, and The Association held its first fair,
beginning ON Tuesday, the 21st day of January,
1879, and continuing until the following Saturday.
The fair was success financially, the receipts
paying all expenses, and, with the payments on
stock subscriptions, the entire cost of the land,
buildings and other improvements, and leaving
small surplus.
The Leon county exhibits shown at this fair
were collected and transported TO Gainesville TO
the Stale Fair, beginning there on the Goth day
day of February following, and entered as a
county exhibit TO contend for the premium of
5000 and silk banner offered for the best county
exhibit. Only one other county, Nassau entered
an exhibit, and the cash premium was divided
between them, while the elegant and costly silk
banner, the material Of which was presented by
the ladies of Gainesville and the banner made by
the ladies of Fernandina, was awarded to Leon,
and is now in the possession of the officers of the
Association, there being no county agricultural
organization in Leon.
The second fair of the Association was held
beginning on Monday, the 10Th of December
1879 and continuing during the entire week. In
order to accommodate some thirty head of racing
stock, (all more or less noted for speed, and
among which were several celebrities, attracted
by the handsome purses offered and the Associa-
TONS superior track, which had become noted
for its excellent qualties,) large number Of addi
tional stables were erected, as well as many
additional stalls and pens for other stock, all OF
which were well filled during the fair.
A large and handsome addition was also made
to the main building, consisting of wing pro-
jecting from the centre of the south side of the
Il h,,il Of ,oo;tx
that, and of an appropriate design, aiding largely
to the architectural beauty Of the structure. This
building, except in one or two departments, was
also well filed with exhibits, and the generally
substantial and appropriate appearance of the
grounds and Improvements was the subject of
much favorable comment by citizens and stran
gers alike The Kewaunee Manufacturing Com
panY of Illinois, had with great liberality, pre-
sented the Association with one of its handsome
and powerful wind-mills, which was erected over
one of the wells for the purpose Of supplying
water.
The receipts of the second fair were sufficient
to pay all expenses, and . considerable amount
(some $3O0,) towards the cost Of the additional
improvements just completed. The Board of
Directors, unwilling to subject the stockholders
TO the necessity Of an assessment, arranged for
the payment of the remaining amount due on the
cost of improvements, and for an additional strip
of land which had been purchased aAd partially
enclosed, by loan, which the net receipts of the
next annual fair will doubtless easily meet, as the
expenses will be less, while the receipts may well
be expected to largely exceed those of the last
fair, as the Legislature will be In session next
winter and The fair will be held some time during
the session.
A third fair, consisting of q flower show and
exhibits Of vegetables and fruit, was held on the
9Th and 9th of April, 1850. Although gotten up
on the spur Of the moment. as IL were. this exhi
biion was particularly creditable and effective ms
a means of showing what may be done with
little effort. This fair was intended especially to
attract the attendance of some OF the large mum.
ber Of winter visitors who were sojourning In the
different sections of the State, particularly in
East Florida; but partly because the rates of
fare on the railroads were not low enough, and
partly because OF the insane fear existing among
the people OF East Florida lest visitors should see
the fairest and most attractive portion Of the
State and thus few dollars less would be real
lied from the annual crop of tourists, the attend
ance of this class was small. The proceeds Of
the fair, however, covered the expenses.
In the work OF encouraging immigration the