exceeded $400. With the reorganization in 1856, and the purchase and occupation of permanent grounds, dates the third period of our existence. The success of the fair of that year showed a new and increased interest in the fortunes of the society, and at once assured the permanent establishment of the association on what we believe to be an enduring basis. That our progress since that time has been marked may be seen by comparing the receipts of the fair of 1857 with that of 1870. In 1857 we had 239 members, received $700 for admission tickets, and paid out $500 in premiums. In 1870 we numbered 1,188 members, received $1,650 for admission tickets, and paid out $1,450 in premiums. In 1856 the grounds of the society comprised eight acres; by lease in 1862 they were enlarged to fifteen acres; now our present location will include within its limits twenty-seven acres. With the year 1872 we open upon the fourth period in our history. In the possession of ample grounds, situated within easy reach of the village, and yet comparatively isolated, and which are now in course of preparation for the fair of the present year, we hope to enter upon our new abiding place with a successful opening in September next, with the confidence and approval of the members who have faithfully supported the society for so many years, and with an earnest determination on the part of all to make the future of our association a worthy supplement to the record of the past. Let every energetic and enterprising farmer in the county resolve to be present at the fair of 1872, and let him not come empty-handed, but bring the choicest of his flocks and herds, the rich products of the soil, and the most skilled handiwork of the domestic circle. Do not be satisfied with the ordinary results of a year's work, but make a special effort, and resolve that you will do all in your power to be represented at the coming fair, in superior excellence, and that old Otsego may take even a more advanced position than she has yet done among the agricultural counties of the State. In a few concluding words, we must take leave of our old abiding place by noting the results of the fair of 1871. This exhibition was an agreeable winding up of our sixteen years' occupation of our old location. Many supposed that less than the usual interest would be shown in the late fair, as all were looking forward to the inauguration of the new grounds in 1872. But so far from this, it seemed as if all had combined to prove the necessity of more enlarged accommodations in all the various departments. Every pen and stall was occupied with stock, and temporary arrangements had to be provided for those which came last upon the grounds. Floral Hall was brilliant with autumn flowers, and rich in luscious fruits and mammoth vegetables; and the domestic and mechanical departments were more than usually interesting. The financial result of the fair was entirely satisfactory; and we had the pleasure of paying out a larger amount in premiums than on any previous year of our history. So we enter upon our new home in the full strength of a vigorous menhood, hoping and believing that we have greater and higher results yet in store for us than those which we have achieved in the past. Secretary for services. $1.50 15 40 25 00 Interest account and additional land purchase... Surveying and grading track, ditching, tile, and work 206 75 new grounds.. 2,998 75 Officers for 1872: President, G. Pomeroy Keese; Secretary, Horace M. Hooker; Treasurer, Frederick G. Lee, all of Cooperstown. G. POMEROY KEESE, President. PUTNAM. The annual fair for 1871 was held on the society's grounds in Carmel on September 26, 27, 28, 29, and was more largely attended than any previous fair. The address was delivered by Gen. E. L. Viele. The show of cattle was creditable; that of milch cows and Alderneys being a special feature. State appropriation.. RECEIPTS. Seventeen new life members, at fifteen dollars each. $92 62 255 00 2,569 18 Rent of building.. 75 00 $2,991 80 EXPENDITURES. Officers for 1872: President, William H. Drew, Brewsters; Secretary, James D. Little, Carmel; Treasurer, Ambrose Ryder, Carmel.: The crops of 1871 may be summed up as follows: The hay crop was unusually short, having been cut off by an early spring drought; not much, if any, more than half a crop. Corn, potatoes, oats, buckwheat and winter grain were just about an average cron and breadth. There is no marked change in the agricultural features of the county. The milk business is still the leading business of the people Prices have receded slightly, and the price of farms is not advancing. Real estate is very high, and farmers who make five per cent upon the price of their farms are considered prosperous. Farming land ranges from $200 downward per acre. J. D. LITTLE, Secretary. CARMEL, January 20, 1872. QUEENS. The board of managers, by a vote passed in the early part of the year, directed that the correspondence between Mr. A. T. Stewart, of New York, and the society, be published in the annual report; this duty, therefore, compels us to condense the usual transactions of the society into as brief space as possible. Since our last annual meeting two of our most valued members have been removed to that bourne from which no traveler returns; and at a meeting, held on the 27th of February, the following action was taken: Whereas, The society has lost in quick succession, within the past few weeks, two of its most prominent members, David R. Floyd Jones, late of South Oyster Bay, and Samuel T. Taber, late of Roslyn-known for their uprightness of character, and marked by that sterling integrity of purpose which was very peculiar to both; and, Whereas, We, wishing to express our sense of the loss sustained by the death of these most valued aasociates, whose removal forever by an All-wise Providence, in the meridian of their days, from the scenes of their former usefulness, has brought a shade of mourning over this association, of which they were eminently friends and counsellors long to be remembered; and Whereas, Both served as presidents of this society, and their respective addresses, fresh in the memory of many, bear marked distinction of their worth and ability to further the advancement of agriculture; therefore, we, the board, desire to unite in the general sympathy expressed toward their respective families in their deep affliction: Resolved, That the foregoing be placed on the records, and a copy forwarded to the families of the deceased, and published in the county papers. The first work in the spring was to entirely remake the drive, which was ploughed up, the turns raised, and finished to the satisfac tion of those desiring its use. Officers for 1872: President, G. Pomeroy Keese; Secretary, Horace M. Hooker; Treasurer, Frederick G. Lee, all of Cooperstown. G. POMEROY KEESE, President. PUTNAM. The annual fair for 1871 was held on the society's grounds in Carmel on September 26, 27, 28, 29, and was more largely attended than any previous fair. The address was delivered by Gen. E. L. Viele. The show of cattle was creditable; that of milch cows and Alderneys being a special feature. RECEIPTS. Seventeen new life members, at fifteen dollars each. State appropriation.... Proceeds of fair in September, 1871 Rent of building.. $92 62 255 00 2,569 18 75 00 $2,991 80 Officers for 1872: President, William II. Drew, Brewsters; Secretary, James D. Little, Carmel; Treasurer, Ambrose Ryder, Carmel.: The crops of 1871 may be summed up as follows: The hay crop was unusually short, having been cut off by an early spring drought; not much, if any, more than half a crop. Corn, potatoes, oats, buckwheat and winter grain were just about an average cron and breadth. |