Your committee recall to recollection, with feelings of pride, the munificent benefactions of the legislature, to advance the literary character of our state; and the fact, that comparatively nothing has been done, legislatively, to improve our agriculture, which employs five-sixths of our population, can only be ascribed to the fact, that nothing has been asked for-nothing thought of. Our public colleges and academies, for literary instruction, are numerous and respectable. They meet our eye in almost every village. But where are our public schools of labor? Where is the head taught to help the hands, in the business which creates wealth, and which is the grand source of individual and national prosperity and happiness? Our literary and professional schools have been reared up and sustained by the expenditure of more than two millions of dollars from the public treasury, and they continue to share liberally of the public bounty. It will not, however, be denied, that the benefits which they dispense are altogether partial,—that the rank and file of society, destined by heaven to become the conservators of civil liberty, are virtually denied a participation in the science and knowledge, in the means of improvement and of happiness, which they are calculated to dispense. Is it not a mandate of duty, then, as well as of expediency, that the benefits of public instruction should be more generally dispensed? We hazard not the fear of contradiction in assuming, that if a moiety of the public monies, which have been appropriated to literary schools, had been judiciously applied, in rendering science subservient to the arts, and in diffusing the higher branches among the laboring classes, the public benefits from the appropriation would have been far greater than they are at the present day. How many hundreds may now be pointed out, of liberal education, who are mere ciphers in society, for want of the early habits of application and labor, which it is the object of the proposed school to form and to infix! And how many, for want of these habits, have been prematurely lost to their friends, and to a purpose of usefulness for which man seems wisely to have been created-that of doing good to his fellows. 2 From a full conviction, that the interests of the state not only warrant, but require, an appropriation of public monies to this object, your committee beg leave to recommend to the consideration of the society the following resolution : Resolved, That a respectful memorial be presented to the legislature, in behalf of this society, and of the great interest which it represents, praying that suitable provision be made by law, for establishing a School of Agriculture, on the plan recommended in the preceding report; and that the co-operation, in this application, of societies and individuals, friendly to the object of the petition, be respectfully solicited. Ordered, That 300 copies of the foregoing report and resolution be printed for the use of the members of the society. Resolved, That Ambrose Spencer, Horatio Hickock, and Jesse Buel, be a committee to prepare and report a memorial to the legislature, in conformity with the preceding resolution. Resolved, That Messrs. Beeckman, Le Ray and Webster, be a committee to report the order of proceedings to be observed in the future meetings of the society. Resolved, That Messrs. Lynch, Walsh, Hungerford, Russell and Beeckman, be a committee to nominate suitable persons for officers of the society for the current year. Mr. Vincent Le Ray de Chaumont requested the committee, in the name of his father, president of the society, in consequence of his prolonged absence, not to consider him a candidate. Mr. Buel informed the committee that he had received a letter from the Hon. Edward P. Livingston, one of the vicepresidents of the society, declining a re-election, on the ground of his not being a practical agriculturist. The Hon. Ambrose Spencer, having also ceased to be a practical agriculturist, declined being considered a candidate for any office. The society then adjourned to 4 o'clock to-morrow after noon. February 15, 1833. The society met pursuant to adjournment. The minutes of yesterday having been read and approved, Dr. LEWIS C. BECK, agreeable to request, delivered before the society a very lucid and interesting address, on the benefits of science, and particularly of botany, to agriculture, and describing some of the most valuable products of our for ests. On motion of Mr. Beeckman, of Columbia, Resolved, That the thanks of the society be presented to Dr. Lewis C. Beck, for his very interesting and instructing address, and that a copy be requested for publication. [We regret much that Dr. Beck has declined furnishing, for the present, a copy of his address for publication.] The corresponding secretary made the following report: The corresponding secretary reports-That in pursuance of the resolution of the society, he procured last spring twelve pounds of seed of the white mulberry, which he divided into parcels, and forwarded to the general committee in the several counties, with printed directions for managing the seeds and plants; and that he has had returns from six or eight counties, in relation to the same, which all concur in giving satisfactory results, and of the parcels having produced from 2000 to 2500 plants each. Upon this data, if the society's efforts have been properly seconded, there are now growing in the state about half a million of mulberry plants, through its exertions. The benefits likely to accrue from this first expenditure, cannot but prove an incentive to further exertions: That he sent a eircular, of which a copy will be found in the proceedings of our first meeting, to the several members of the general committee: That William Jay, Esq. of Westchester, gave an early assurance of his desire to co-operate in our useful labors, and enclosed five dollars as a donation to our funds: That Benjamin W. Ross, Esq. of Essex, manifested a like desire, and also enclosed five dollars: That F. C. Delavan, Esq. of Seneca writes, that from the ounce of seed sent to him, five thousand mulberry plants have been reared, of which 2500 were raised by the Rev. Thomas Lounsbery, all of which are in healthy condition. Mr. Delavan gave also an earnest of his good wishes, by enclosing five dollars. That among the communications from foreign correspondents, is a very valuable one from Dr. William Darlington, of Westchester, Pa. on the use of lime in agriculture; and a letter from Major John Adlum, of Georgetown, district of Columbia, accompanied by a copy of his treatise on the culture of the vine, and on the manufacture of wine, and a dozen bottles of wine of his vintage of 1831, presented to the society: That communications, on practical husbandry, have been received from several members of the general committee; and That no official communications have been received from county societies, except that of Jefferson, although it is understood that societies have been organized in Oswego, Monroe, Onondaga, Saratoga, Essex and Clinton. It is also understood that societies are about being organized in Albany, Columbia, New-York, &c. Mr. Beeckman presented the following report; which was accepted. The committee who were appointed by a resolution of the society, to report the order in which business shall he conducted in its future meetings, report: That the order of business, after the organization of the society by the presiding officer, shall be— 1. To call the names of the members; 2. Receive credentials of delegates from county societies; 3. Admission of new members; 4. Minutes of the preceding meeting to be read and ap proved; 5. Standing and other committees to report; 6. Treasurer to make his annual report ; 7. Communications received by the secretary to be made to the society; 8. Communications of members to be received; 9. Resolutions to be offered, and general business of the society to be transacted; 10. President to deliver his address; 11. Officers to be chosen. The Treasurer's Report. The Treasurer respectfully reports: That during the year past, he has received the following sums : From three life members, $50 each, $150 00 15 00 6 00 102 00 $273 00 That his disbursements have been as follows:- for planting the mulberry seed-and 1000 co- 113 00 And that there remains a balance in his hands of $134 00 Respectfully submitted, CHARLES R. WEBSTER, Treas'r. Albany, February 14, 1833. On motion of Mr. Beeckman, of Columbia, Resolved, That for the purpose of giving increased interest to the annual meetings of this society, its corresponding and recording secretaries be requested to provide, for the delivery of lectures and addresses on subjects of general interest to the agriculture of the state. Mr. V. Le Ray de Chaumont, of Jefferson, from the committee on the subject of fairs, read the following report and resolution, which were adopted by the society. |