History of Montgomery & Fulton Counties by F. W. Beers & Co. Montgomery County, Ch21

THE HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY

CHAPTER XXI.

AGRICULTURE IN SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON'S TIME--HISTORY OF THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

The earliest stage of agriculture in the Mohawk valley was that in which the squaws cultivated corn, beans and squashes, or pumpkins, on the river flats adjacent to the Mohawk castles. The interests of agriculture, however, received very early attention from the Dutch colonists. Though the very first of them who penetrated the wildernesses along the rivers were traders, the majority of the pioneers were, of course, farmers. There is record of a fair or cattle show at the settlement on Manhattan Island as early as 1641. Agriculture received legislative notice and encouragement in 1692, by the passage of an ordinance providing for holding fairs and markets in each county of the province, which remained unrepealed until after the organization of the State government. These early markets were competitions for custom rather than for premiums. oThe various farm products were arranged in close proximity, so that their comparative excellence could be readily decided by the purchaser, and thus a very effective spur to the efforts of producers was afforded. The expenses incurred in such displays and sales were defrayed by a tax on the commodities, equally shared by the buyer and seller. Efforts for the improvement of agriculture in the colony during a century of English control would seem to have been none too successful, judging from the following picture of the state of that great industry, which is part of a letter from Sir William Johnson to the English Society for the Promotion of the Arts, dated Johnson Hall, February 27, 1765:

"The state of Agriculture in this country is very low, and in short likely to remain so to the great Detriment of the Province, which might otherwise draw many resources from so extensive and valuable a Country, but the turn of the old settlers here is not much calculated for improvement, content with the meer necessaries of Life, they don't chuse to purchase its superfluities at the expence of Labour neither will they hazard the smallest matter for the most reasonable prospect of gain, and this principle will probably subsist as long as that of their equality, which is at present at such a pitch that the conduct of one neighbor can but little influence that of another.

" Wheat which in my opinion must shortly prove a drug, is in fact what they principally concern themselves about and they are not easily to be convinced that the Culture of other articles will tend more to their advantage. If a few of the Machines made use of for the breaking of hemp was distributed amongst those who have Land proper for the purpose it might give rise to the culture of it-or if one only properly constructed was sent as a model, it might Stir up a spirit of Industry amongst them, but Seed is greatly wanted, & Cannot be procured in these parts, and the Germains (who are the most Industrious people here) are in general in too low circumstances to concern themselves in anything attended with the smallest Expence, their Plantations being as yet in their infancy, & with regard to the old Settlers amongst the Germans who live farther to the Westward, they have greatly adopted the sentiments of the rest of the inhabitants. The country Likewise labours under the disadvantage of narrow, and (in many places) bad roads, which would be still worse did I not take care that the inhabitants, laboured to repair them according to law. The ill Condition of Public roads is a Great obstruction to husbandry, the high wages of labouring men, and the great number of tepling houses are likewise articles which very much want Regulation. These disagreeable circumstances must for some time retard the Progress of husbandry; I could heartily wish 1 had more leisure to attend to these necessary articles of improvements to promote which my Influence and Example should not be wanting. I have formerly had pease very well split at my mills, and I shall set the same forward amongst the people as tar as I can, I have Likewise sent for Collections of many Seeds, and usefull grasses which I shall Encourage them to raise, and from the great wants of stock, even for home use, & Consumption, I am doing all I can to turn the intention of the in habitants to raising these necessary articles, for the purchase of which, a good deal of cash has hither to been annually carried into the N. England Collonies.

" Before I set the Examples, no farmer on the Mohock River ever raised so much as a single Load of Hay, at present some raise above one Hundred, the like was the case in regard to sheep, to which they were intire strangers until I introduced them, & I have the Satisfaction to see them at present possess many other articles, the result of my former Labors for promoting their welfare and interests, my own Tenants amounting to about 100 Families are not as yet in circumstances to do much, they were settled at great Expence and hazard during the heat of the [French] War, and it was principally (I may venture to affirm, solely) owing to their residence & mine, that the rest of the inhabitants did not all abandon their settlements at that Distressful Period; But tho' my Tennants are considerably in my Debt, I shall yet give them all the assistance I can for encouraging any useful! Branches of Husbandry, which I shall contribute to promote thro'out the rest of the country to the utmost of my power, and Communicate to you any material article which may occur upon that Subject."

The Society for the Promotion of Agriculture, Arts and Manufactures was established in 1793. In 1801 this society, for convenience of action, divided the State into agricultural districts, each consisting of a county. A secretary was appointed in each district, whose duty it was to convene the members of the society within his county, learn the state of agriculture and manufactures therein, and report to the president of the society. Several years after this arrangement was made premiums were offered for the best specimens of home-made cloth, and were awarded partly by the general authority of the society, and partly by county judges appointed by it.

By an act of the Legislature, in 1819, for the improvement of agriculture, a board of officers was created and an appropriation made for two years, which was to be distributed among the different counties of the State for the advancement of agriculture and domestic manufactures, on the condition that the counties themselves subscribed an equal sum. This advance on the part of the State was met with indifference generally, and no permanent results were secured by it. The present agricultural society of the State was formed in 1832, but not by Legislative action. No appropriation was made in its favor until its re-organization in 1841, when measures were taken for raising funds and holding annual .fairs. In the spring of that year $40,000 was appropriated, partly to the State society, and partly for division among the counties in proportion to their representation in the Assembly.

It was under this act that The Montgomery County Agricultural Society was organized. Pursuant to a notice by the county clerk, a meeting was held September 20, 1844, at the court house in Fonda. A committee on nominations reported the following, which were adopted : President, Tunis I. Van Deveer ; vice-presidents, Joshua Reed and Peter H. Fonda ; secretary, John Frey ; treasurer, John Nellis. The board of directors consisted of a representative from each town in the county, as follows : Amsterdam, Benedict Arnold ; Charleston, Robert Baird ; Canajoharie, Jeremiah W. Gardner ; Florida, Lawrence Servoss ; Glen, Richard Hudson ; Minden, Barney Becker ; Mohawk, Lyndes Jones ; Palatine, Wm. Snell ; Root, George Spraker ; St. Johnsville, John Y. Edwards. A committee was appointed to draft a constitution and report it at a subsequent meeting, which all desirous to promote the interests of agriculture, manufactures and rural arts, were earnestly requested to attend.

On the 13th of October, the organization was completed and arrangements made for the first fair, which was held at the court house, on the nth and 12th of November following. The receipts amounted to $471.50 ; the expenses were but nine dollars less. The fair was held at the same place for the next three years, the annual receipts averaging about $250. The fifth year the fair was held at Canajoharie, October 7 and 8, 1845. The next four were held at the court house in Fonda ; the tenth, at Fort Plain, and the next three at the court house. The fair of 1854 was held at St. Johnsville, and that of 1855 at Canajoharie. Since then it has been held annually at Fonda, that place having been fixed upon as the permanent locality, by a convention of the society, at " the Reformed Dutch Church " in that village, September 24, 1863. At the same time it was ordered that the society be kept distinct from and independent of any other in its organization and affairs.

On the l0th of October, 1860, the constitution and by-laws were adopted, by which the society has since been governed. Under the constitution, the officers comprise a president, two vice-presidents, a secretary, and a treasurer. There is an executive committee of three, and the board of directors consists of three from each town in the county. The term of all the officials is one year. Membership for a year costs fifty cents, and life membership, $10. The annual meeting of the society is held in the evening of the first day of the fair. The officers are then elected and enterupon their duties on the first of January following.

In 1861, a new feature of attraction was added to the fair by a very successful balloon ascension. The number of entries of live stock and in -some other departments that year outnumbered those of previous years by one-half. An address was delivered by Mr. James Arkell, and an original poem by Hon. John Bowdish. In 1863. the society decided to purchase grounds on which to hold their annual fairs. A field of about thirteen acres, part of the Van Home estate, on the bank of the Mohawk, 'beginning at the lower side of the bridge, was selected. The fair of 1864 was the first held on the new ground, and the most successful up to that date, the receipts being over $2,000-double those of any previous year. When the ground was purchased there was about $400 in the treasury. This sum was, of course, soon exhausted in paying for the land, fence and first buildings, and a debt of between five and six thousand dollars was created, which was steadily reduced from year to year by the receipts at fairs. In his report for 1872, the secretary announced that the society would be enabled to make further necessary investments-such as permanent buildings for live stock, improvements of Floral Hall, etc. The receipts from the fair of 1873-some $2,000-hardly met the unusually large expenses for that year. The address on this occasion was delivered by Hon. John Bowdish.

Special efforts were put forth.to make the fair of the centennial year, 1876, one of unusual attractiveness, in the hope of increased receipts that would cancel the remaining indebtedness of the society. The exhibition in the various departments far surpassed those of previous years, and many special attractions were introduced, including foot races, a ropewalking performance and superior musical entertainment-three bands being in attendance. The receipts were, as hoped, much greater than on any previous occasion, amounting to $3,803. It was in this year that the grand stand was built. The amount taken in the next year, though several hundred dollars less, put the finances of the society in a very gratifying condition, there being at the commencement of the year 1878 $987 in the treasury.