VOL. XXIX.
INDIANAPOLIS. IND ,  OOT. 6. 1894.
NO. 40
THE STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE
History  of Its Origin and. Organization
With   an  Account   of the First State
Fair of 1852, by Col. W. T. Dennis,
First Oeneral Superintendent.
Editors Indiana Fakmkk:
I believe I am the sole survivor of the
men who organized the State Board of
Agriculture In 1851, and as the organiza
tlon has grown to be a power in the
State, I have herein supplemented the
records, which exist with my personal
recollections.
At the session of the Oeneral Assembly
for 1850 and 1851 Hon. D. P. Holloway,
senator from Wayne oounty introduced a
bill for the organization of a State Board of
agriculture. It was referred to the Committee on Agriculture of which Geo. W.
Brown, of Shelby county, was chairman.
Mr. Holloway was "Whig" in politics,and
the majority in the Senate was Democrat
ic, and as a matter of course any project
ooming from the Whig or minority side of
the howe was looked upon with mistrust.
Chairman Brown quietly put the bill in
his pocket, and maintained a dignified silence, until after many and urgent
appeals by Mr. Holloway, and after an
interview and consultation with Gov. Joseph A. Wright, it was determined to report unfavorably on the bill. Upon
learning these facts Mr. Holloway had a
private interview with Gov. Wright in
which he pointed out the great benefit
which would accrue to the State by such
an organization, and the favor with
which it would be received by the people,
and in addition the leading position it
would give its originators as well as great
popularity, and crowned these simple
propositions with a proposition to give
Gov. Wright the presidency of the organization, and make Mr. Brown the member of the board from his district. As
Gov. Wright was then making his ar
rangements for a renomination by his
party, and was shrewd enough to see
that here was too good a chance
to be lost, he called Mr. Brown
into the conference,and the arrangements
were accordingly made by which Chairman Brown was to call his Committee together to consider Mr. Holloway's bill, report it favorably to the Senate,waive party
hostility and pass it. This was done, and
it went to the house bearing the stamp of
the Governor's favor, and receiving a full
majority of votes became a law. The first
State Hoard of Agriculture was organized
as follows:
President, Joseph A. Wright, Marion
county; first vice president, George
Hussey, Vigo oounty; second vice-president, Samuel Emison, Knox county;
treasurer, Royal Mayhew, Marion county;
secretary, J^hn IS Dillon, Marion county;
Members of State Board: Jeremiah
McBride, Martin county; George W.
Brown, Shelby county; Jacob R. Harris,
Switzerland county; John McMahan,
Washington county; George K. Steele,
Parke countyjJoseph Orr, LaPorte oounty;
A. Seward, Monroe county; George G.
Dunn, Lawrence county; David P. Holloway, Wayne county; Alex C. Stevenson, Wayne county; Thos. W. Swinney,
Allen county; Roland Willard, Kosciusko
county; John B. Kelly,   Warrick county.
This organization was perfected and the
officers duly elected at a meeting held in
the hall of the House of Representatives,
May 28, 1851. A drawing was had by
the members of the Board for one and two
year terms. A plan was introduced and
adopted for the organization and management of county societies.
A resolution was adopted for holding a
State fair at Indianapolis in the autumn
of 1852, The next meeting was held in
the Supreme Court room of the State
bouse  January 8,   1852.    Present    Gov.
Wright, of Marion, Stevenson of Putnam,
McBride, of Martin, Harris of Switzerland, Ratliff, of Morgan, Orr of LaPorte,
Holloway of Wayne, S winney of Allen,
Brown of Shelby, and the following delegates from county societies:
I. D. G. Nelson of Allen, C. L. Murray,
Elkhart, C. M. Stone, Fayette, E. Singer,
Hendricks, J. W. Grubb, Henry, J. D.
Williams, Knox, Wm. Allen, LaPorte,
Calvin Fletcher, Marion, W. E. Niblack,
Martin, Lewis Ballman, Monroe, John
Hall, Ohio, G. K. Steele.Parke, Jesse Morgan, Rush, D. Whitcomb, Shelby, John
Levering, Tippecanoe, Thos. Durham,
Vigo, W. T. Dennis, Wayne.
Rules for the government of the State
Board were adopted and legislation was
asked for to the end that assessors should
take an account of live stock and acreage
of wheat, corn, oats, barley, flax, hemp,
potatoes, broom corn and vineyards, and
asking an appropriation by the legislature
of $2,000. Also requesting each delegate
to furnish the names of ten men qualified
for judge, and soliciting bids for location
of coming State Fair. The election for
memlers of the State Board to fill the
places of those whose time expired resulted as follows: McBride, Brown, Harris,
McMahan, Steele, Orr, Seward, and Dunn.
The president announced the following
standing committees: On premium list,
Stevenson, Single and Williams. On
amendments, Harris, Grubbs and Dennis
On publication, Swinney, Ballman and
Fletcher. On business generally, Orr,
Hall and Mc Connell.
The executive committee was instructed
to report Rules and Regulations for the
fair and take charge of all matters not
otherwise referred.
A resolution was offered by Mr. Dennis
authoiizing Wayne county to make its
premium open to all, and amended to
make all county societies who choose to
admit competition from other county secretaries was voted down. Visiting of one
or more to adjoining State fairs was
ordered.
Action was taken providing that the
term of office of one half the members of
the State Board expire on the last day of
the annual meeting in January. Authorizing the purchase of silver cups as prem
iums to the amount of |500; allowing John
Dillin $50 for services as secretary.
Many matters relating to the future operations of the board were discusstd and
suggestions too numerous to mention
were thrown out as might have been ex
pected by a body of enterprising and in
telligent men, who were in a manner
launching a ship without being sailors.
However the preliminaries of organization were quite efficiently compassed, and
a spirit of energy and determination ex
hibited which portended success. When
it is taken into consideration that not a
single member of these primary meetings
had participated in the practical details ot
such an organization previously, it is a
matter of surprise that so few important
matters were overlooked or neglooted in
the transactions of the Board in this the
initial year of its existence, 1851.
SECOND TEAR.
The operations of the State board the
first year, as will be seen, were mostly devoted to preliminaries and in getting acquainted with and reaching out for sympathetic response from the people who
were most interested and to whom the
methods and objects of a State Board of
Agrioulture and the make up of a State
fair were enigmas. By the appointment of
the State board the executive committee
met in tie Supreme Court room of the
Capitol, June 28, 1852. Present—A. C.
Stevenson, of Putnam; D. P. Holloway, of
Wayne; Gov. Jos. A. Wright, of Marion;
Geo. W. Brown, Shelby.
A schedule of premiums to be awarded
at the State fair was prepared and adopted
and ordered published.
W. T. Dennis was appointed general
superintendent "for the preparation of the
grounds and the management of the same,
and in authorized to make contracts for
the enclosure of the grounds, the erection
of the necessary hall, sheds and stalls,
designate the proper location of all articles
presented for exhibition, and the employment and control of all necessary assistants and police."
In addition to these duties, which it will
be seen embraced the entire organization
and management of the State fair in all
its details and to an extent which no other
superintendent was ever charged with,
Mr. Dennis was instructed to report rules
and regulations for the government of the
State fair, which were adopted by the executive committee, and which, with some
slight changes, remained in force for
years.
The proposition of Marion county and
the city of Indianapolis to give a bonus of
{900 and furnish suitable grounds for the
State fair was received and accepted, and
the tract of land known as the Military
grounds, at the elbow of the canal, northwest of the city, was selected. This was a
level piece of ground with some natural
forest trees standing in the western portion and having the canal on its eastern
and southern fronts as a boundary. The
canal on the south side and particularly at
the west end was considerably above the
level of the enclosure and was used for
stock water by means of a syphon and ex
tensive troughs. Wells were sunk in different parts of the grounds for drinking
water, which afforded an ample supply.
A track was laid out, one third of a mile,
in the western part of the grounds for
tests of speed and the exhibition of light
harness and saddle horses. A large tent
was procured and placed in a central position within the track for a floral hall,
which was filled to overflowing with
fruits, flowers, needle work and fine arts.
The grounds and structures were all fully
completed and open for inspection on Saturday before the fair, and this was the
first viiit that President Wright had made
to them.
It will be remembered that was the year
of the noted campaign between Jos. A.
Wright and John A. Martin, rival candidates for governor, and Wright was for
the time more interested in politics than
in agriculture.
Membership tickets, which admitted a
man and his family under 18, were sold
for f 1, and single tickets 20 cents. Competitors were required to be members.
The superintendent employed the entry
clerks in the secretary's office, and gave
them full instructions in regard to entries,
also chief of police and the force under
him. Among the entry clerks were Geo.
H. Chapman, John S. Tarkington, Benj.
Sulgrove,! Francis King, John C. New,
John H. Batty, Geo. W. Kimberly. John
C. Page, sheriff of Wayne county, was
chief of police, having 20 assistants, who
discharged the duties of gatekeeper as
well as police.
And right here is the proper plaoe to
consider the outlook for the first State
fair. Indianapolis, although the capital of
the State, was a comparatively small city
of some thirty thousand inhabitants, and
but few manufactories, the Eagle Machine
Works of Hasselman .t Vinton being the
most important, with but a single railroad, the (Madison), while Marion oounty
agriculturists were among the most
primitive and backward of any in the
State, making it positive that whatever of
interest and excellence might bs gathered
on tbe fair grounds it wonld have to be
brought on wagons and live stock on foot,
and it took a strong faith to look forward
to a fair which should be a success.   But
a success it was, and a most flattering one.
Our Kentucky neighbors were present in
considerable force, bringing some fine
specimens of Shorthorn cattle and long,
wool sheep, which under a rule of agricultural "know-nothing-ism," which had unfortunately been adopted by the board,
oould not receive premiums, not being
owned in the State, and were shown as
"foreign stock" and awarded diplomas
only. I am happy to say that this narrow
and short-lighted policy was short lived.
The fair was held October 18 to 23, in a
week of most delightful Indian summer
weather, without a drop of rain to interfere. The people were out in their
strength, and the variety and excellence of
the exhibition was a surprise even to the
most sanguine.
The receipts for admissions were
$4,65155; the silver cups, badges and
diplomas cost $570 95; there was paid out
for lumber $1,400; for police, $341 50; for
cash premiums, $1,500, There was received from the State appropriation $2,000;
from bonus from Marion, $900; total receipts, $8,853 lfj; total paid out, $5,997 77.
Balance on hand, $2,855 39, showing a surplus of $855 39 for the fair proper, over and
above the $2,000 received from the State.
*®jeujeral _%zvas.
The Czar of Russia is seriously ill with
Bright's disease.
Five hundred negroes of Mobile will
migrate to Liberia.
Sixty thousand acres in this country are
devoted to celery growing.
Flying Jib, in a trial on the track at
Chillicothe, O., paced a mile in 1:59\i.
Two hundred and forty saloonkeepers
were arrested in New York for violating
the law.
A 13 year-old daughter of George Calon,
of Oskaloosa, Ia , was fatally burned while
using a kerosene lamp to curl her hair.
The official reports show that there were
2,999 cases of cholera and 1,258 deaths in
Russia and its provinces, the first half of
September.
While trying to save her baby from a
fire, caused by the explosion of a gasoline
stove, Mrs. Charles Palmer, of Akron, O.,
was burned to death.
A horse, while fording a stream in
Florida recently, was attacksd by an alligator, and had several pounds of flash
taken before he was rescued.
Joseph Truskey has been sentenced at
Sandwich, Ont., to hang December 14 for
the murder of a police officer last spring.
His trial took but three hours.
Schooner William Home sprang a leak
in the gale on Lake Michigan and her
crew took to the yawl, which was capsized,
and all but one of the six drowned.
William Konkling, a beardless farmer
boy of 20, attempted single-handed to rob
the bank of Bloom field, S kilos & Co , at
Mt. Sterling, HI., recently. He secured
$400, but was captured after a lively chase.
A train on the Wabash railroad near
Toledo, Ohio, was wrecked Sunday morning and five p9ople were killed and injured. It was due to the work of train
wreckers, the switch having been partly
thrown.
Three canneries of MUford, Del., are
packing eighty thousand cans of tomatoes
a day, and three at Frederica are packing
seventy five thousand a day, while many
smaller canneries all over the State and
the peninsula are busy with tomatoes.
Meanwhile a farmer in Kent county,
Maryland, received recently, for 100 baskets of tomatoes shipped to Baltimore, $4 43.
The baskets alone cost him four cents
each.