Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-24
STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,
ANNUAL REPORT OF TIE BoAgD OF
DIRECTORS
Read and Adopted at the Annual Meet
ing Of the Society, Held at sacra-
mento January 20, 1880.

In presenting their annual report the Board take
occasion 10 congratulate the members upon the i'm
proved condition of the Society, both in resp CT TO
ITS finances and IN regard to us relations with the
general industries OF the state. The Board adopted
IS its maxim rule of action from the beginning
The stricjest economy in the expenditures # the
Society consistent with liberal encouragement to
the industries hich it is The province OF the society
TO foster. The Board also determined that all the
material Industries Of the State should share equita
bly, in the distribution of its bOuniios, and that
each should receive the fostering care and enc3ur
Agement Of the ciety that its circumstances and
promise of benefit to the state should demand In
their eudeayor to carry out these rules the Board
have met with some difficulties, arising from pre-
cedents, which II has been found very hard To over
come at once. These difficulties can only be sur
mounted by patient endeayOr OF the Board ald its
officers, and determined support from the mem
bers of the so-iety and the representatives OF the
material industries OF the att generally.
To what extent they have been success fnl in the
economy of expenditures NAV be in ged from the
following summary OF the financial history Of the
year: The receipts from all sources have been Si3.-
3l5 u; the total expendtu es Of the year have
been Sl33lS is, leaving balance on hand Of 81 "a.
We have paid, of Indebtedness outstanding at the
close Of last years Transactions, IS $40 05 Ire
present audited Indebtedness OF the Society is
1888 80, but OF this sum sos of Inst years
debt showing reduction Of the Indebtedness Tor
the year OF 81 ,3lS 60.
The Board recognized fully the importance OF
radical revision Of the premium list put it abreast
with the Improvements in agriculture, manufac-
lures and mechanic arts Of the day. but circurn-
stances at the beginning Of their administration
delayed such revision until it too late 10 make
ana publish such changes clearly demanded.
The few changes that made in the list Of pre-
miums and III the speed programme were accepted
by the patrons of the Society in the kiudest OF feel
lug, and resulted in adding ma orally to the value
OF the exhibition and the trials OF speed on the
course. AT the instance Of the Board the Secretary
has already commenced correspondence with other
State Societies anC with representative Of the
various agricultural horticultural mechanical, man
ufacturing aud commercial industries of the state,
with view to complete adaptation OF the list for
the coming year to all these industries With snch
changes satisfied greatly increased interest
will be attracted to the Society, and its sphere OF
usefulness will be greatly increased and enlarged.
Recognizing the agricultural interests as the foun-
datOn OF prosperity to all Others the officers OF the
Board short time before the last fair issued cir
cular letter to every Grange in the state assuring
them of earnest desire on the part Of TIE SOcie
TO cooperate with the Grange organization In the
| promotion Of the best interests OF the producing
classes and in turn asking their cooperation with
the Society in honest effort to develop the States
known and latent agricultural resources. From the
received by letter. and from the increased
attendance and exhibitions OF these classes at the
| fair, We are convinced that the action
| in this respect, if judiciousl, followed
up, will result great good to the Society by dis
abusing the public mind in all portions Of the State
of an idea which had obtained to considerable eX-
tent that the Society managed in the interest OF
some particular locality section, class of indus
| tries persons The same policy has been contln-
ued by using the Grange organization as a medium
through which to distribute the transactions OF the
Society to the farmers Of the State generally and
| the Secretary is now receiving many letters thank
ing the Board for volumes received in this manner,
| and promising hearty sympathy and support in the
| future. The Board last season suggested the idea
| of establishing camping ground within easy dis
and To the the benefit alu
yenience of families and camping parties from dis
lance 1t is believed that the idea Is an eminently
practical one especially III this State and during the
fair season. Our climate faVors the plan, and par
ties from distance, by adopting it, attend the
fairs and enjoy their amusements and benefits at
much less Expense than in any other way. We're
this idea to be put into practice and become ta.h
| onable, OF opinion that the fairs would be
! much more numerOusly attended by people from
distant sections and indeed from all sections OF the
State, and especially by people who heretofore
have not felt able To spare the time and incur the
expense Of attending the fairs. We are also satisfied
that the same change will add greatly to the bulk
and variety OF the ex EDITIONS, thus proving highly
beneficial to the Society financially, and enlarging
the field OF its usefulness and comforting benefits
upon classes it has not heretofore reached
The fair of 1879, exhibition, was a reason
able success. In the cattle department owing to
circumstances over which the owners had con-
troll two of the largest and best herds in the State
were not brought on the grounds, though one OF
then had applied Tor and had been awarded
stalls to the number of forty to fifty.
Had not this unfortunate circumstance occurred the
exhibition in this department would have been by
far the fullest and best made by the society.
The exhibition at the Pavi II, whole, surpassed
Tor variety and excellence any Of its predecessors for
years, and in the art department was pronounced
the best ever made on the coast. There were
number OF circumstances that operated against the
efforts OF the Board in working up the far. Two
very exciting general elections had absorbed the at
tention of the people, keeping them in state OF ex
element during the whole summer the last com
ing but three days before the opening of the fair
Prices of ali kinds OF produce had for long time
been exceptionally low and were still so at the time
Of the fair with disernabe prospects OF fayora
ole change As a consequence money was exceed
ugly scarce and people had no means and but little
heart to engage in recreation Had the fair taken
place two months later when the excitement OF the
election had worn away and VIXEN prices had i'm
proved and business prospects greatly frightened,
the attendance would have been much greater
and the financial exhibit for the year would
have been improved in proportion, and probably the
debt of the Society would have been paid off in full
in looking the list OF entries Uf stock at our
fers for the last eight ten years, it will be
that though the exhibitions in respect to num-
bers of animals and the quality Of the same
have been quite creditable to the Society and
the State, yet the number of owners OF stock
represented in these exhibitions is Insignfcantly
srnali-a standing reproach to the Society and the
state. Taking the exhibition OF 1S7S-one OF the
fullest and best ever made by the Society in the
stock department-it Will serve a good illus
ton of the above statement. There We're that year
but fifteen different exhibitors OF thoroughbred
horses, and the whole number of exhibitors in the
horse department but ninety three. In this
statement we do not include the large number OF
very superior horses that entered In the rum
ming and trottiug races and not exhibited for the
class premiums OF the Society. The races Save
always been, and we trust will contin 80 be, an
interesting and popular part OF our fairs. In the
cattle department of the same year there were but
eleven exhibitors of thoroughbred sh0rthorn cattle,
eight exhibitors OF Attorneys and Jerseys and three
exhibitors of thoroughbred cattle of all other
breeds, and all the horned cattle hibited at the
fair that owned by twenty-five different
persons. In tbs sheep department there were but
three exhibitors OF Spanish merino sheep, one eX-
hibitor Of French merno and four exhibitors in all
other grades-naking but eight exhibitors OF sheep
at the fair OF Angora goats there were seven eX-
hibitors Of swine eight and Of poultry nine.
From the above analysis it viii be seen that 100
persons made up the entire stock exhibition of the
fair of 1S7S-as sud before-one of the best and
largest stoc exhibitions the Society has made
Another important fact connected with these eXhi
billions is that the persons who made the prlncpa!
exhibitions OF stock at the fair We are anayz-
ing have been the principal exhibitors in
the stock department for the last ten
years, and have carried away by far
the largest proportion Of the money offered by the
Society as premiums in the stock department. The
Board have word of complaint towards these
successful exhibitors of stock. On the contrary,
their enterprise, energy and success in breeding Is
hlBny commented, anu tie management vi Tue
Society should at all times be shaped to induce
them to even greater efforts to improvement in the
future than they have exered in the past. Not |
withstandng, it is TO be regretted that the Society
has not been able call out more general interest
and greater number of exhibitors, and a more |
general representation of the real practl al stock
breeding industries of the State. 1t should be the
care and aim of the Society not encourage the |
pampering of few herds or q few hundred animals
for the purpose Of fine show, b 1t to breed up and
improve the quality and enhance the value OF each
and every class of domestic animals to elevate the
general standard of excellence OF all the stock in
the State to bring about higher average ard |
thus make more successful, more attractive and |
more profitable this branch Of the industries |
OF the farm. While we would continue to |
+ha tIa