A MEMBER: Do you mean trials of speed of all kinds?

MR. LAWRENCE: Any trials of speed whatever.

Now that subject was discussed at considerable length, and when the vote was taken the motion of Mr. Lawrence was lost.

After that the following resolution was adopted:

Resolved, That it is the sense of this Conventlon that speed in horses should be encouraged by county agricultural societies, and that premiums should be offered therefor.

Now there is the action of the Convention last year, which, I think, ought to be taken into consideration. I am not in favor of the action of the State Board of Agriculture being called in question, and the Board so summarily dealt with in the matter. This question has gone through the entire State, and has become a matter of necessity. It ought to be done for the sake of the stock. Not only that, it has been carried out in most counties of the State as a matter of necessity to render assistance to the fair. And if any gentleman wants to go to look at the cattle, or hogs, he can do so without being demoralized. He can look at those things to his heart's content. But I doubt whether there are many gentleman here that would not, when there is an exciting race in the ring, go to see it. [Laughter and applause ]

R. BAKER: I wish to say a word or two in regard to my position in reference to the cattle business. I think I may have been misunderstood by some. I didn't say before that the judges should offer two sets of premiums. I was never satisfied to give a premium for a herd comprising a bull and three or four cows, when one or two extra ones had been brought in to fill up the herd. I would say that last year our rule was to bar out any unless they were breeders. We required all classes of breeding animals to be shown or to have been raised by breeders.

MR. DOUTHETT: I want to say that I think the gentlemen who are in favor of fast horses and the speed ring at our fairs assume something they cannot prove. They assert that our fairs cannot be conducted without these trials of speed. I don't think they can prove that. It is an assumption. We have two very successful examples without going across the waters. In the State of New York they never have them. That we all know. Last spring some one in Pennsylvania resurrected an old law, some fifty years old, which the people did not know was on the statute books. That law covered the subject of horse racing as practised at the present day at our fairs. And he happened to make a suggestion that it would be well for members of the agricultural societies to look at the statute before they offered large premiums in the speed ring. The consequence of that was, that last season Pennsylvania

tried it without the speed ring, and at their annual fair at Philadelphia they took in $60,000. Now if that was a failure, I would like to see Ohio fail in the same way. [Laughter and applause.]

MR. McClung offered the following resolution :

WHEREAS, The Ohio State Board of Agriculture is without a permanent bome, and it being considered that the permanent location of the Ohio State Fair upon grounds exclusively under the control of the State Board of Agriculture is essential to the advancement of the agricultural interests of the State; therefore,

Resolved, That the General Assembly be petitioned to grant to the State Board of Agriculture fifty acres of the Ohio University farm, to be controlled by the Board, and used for the purpose of holding the annual Ohio State Fair.

On motion of Mr. Jamison, the resolution was laid upon the table until the evening session.

D. L. POPE: I want to say that I approve of the suggestion of Judge Jones in reference to not making our premiums so large, and making more of them. We had some of them too high, in my opinion. I think they should be arranged so as to come down to all classes. I think we should not give one first premium on cattle, for instance, for the best bull only, provided there was another almost as good. I think it would be better to put in three or four premiums in some of these classes. On motion, the Convention took a recess until 7 o'clock P.M.

EVENING SESSION.

The Convention reassembled pursuant to adjournment.

G. W. Carey and Peter Moore were appointed as tellers, and the Convention proceeded to the election of members of the State Board, with the following result:

Thos. A. Cowgill (withdrawn before the balloting commenced).
S. A. Leckey

3

5

Moses H. Neil

Total votes cast, 70; necessary to a choice, 36.

The first five named, receiving the necessary number of votes, were declared elected.

M. J. LAWRENCE: Mr. President, I can not help but say that this is a very fine indorsement of the old Board. I desire simply to call attention to it. The only three whose names were allowed to be presented before the Convention received almost the unanimous vote of this body. I am very glad to see this hearty indorsement of the old Board. The other two members, whose time has expired, declining a reëlection.

Mr. McClung offered the following resolution:

Resolved, That the State Board be requested to publish in a bulletin, as heretofore, the reports made by the reporter for committees on horses, cattle, swine, and sheep; and that they publish therewith the proceedings of this Convention, omitting the papers submitted, which will be published in the annual report.

M. J. LAWRENCE: There is one point, in regard to this matter, to which I wish to call attention before it goes to a vote. That is, that there is, at least, one other department besides live stock that is a very attractive feature at our State Fairs, and it seems to me if we are going to publish a bulletin containing the reports referred to (which I admit is very desirable), it seems to me it should include our mechanical arts.

J. M. MILLIKIN: I understand that the State Board have reporters for four departments of domestic animals, and that there are no other reports. These four reports have heretofore been published in the form of a bulletin, and it is very desirable to have it go before the public before the annual report is published. It will be too long to wait until the annual report is out.

D. L. POPE: I do not know whether the resolution is intended to cover the premiums awarded, or not.

J. M. MILLIKIN: No, sir.

D. L. POPE: One of the other bulletins does include the premiums. It does strike me that injustice is done to the mechanical department and others, and that it ought to include the premiums. If we print the report at all, it should include these awards.

W. B. MCCLUNG: If the gentlemen will make that amendment, I will accept it.

THE PRESIDENT: The chair will just state for the information of members that, in the last bulletin published, all the premiums were published alike, the mechanical as well as the agricultural. That is what I understand is designed in offering the resolution.

W. B. MCCLUNG: As I understood before, the premiums were published in this bulletin. It will only be necessary to add to the resolution to carry these other departments. I supposed that would be done as heretofore. I will accept the amendment.

M. J. LAWRENCE: I would like to ask, for information, the expense of publishing this bulletin.

THE SECRETARY: About $200.00.

M J. LAWRENCE: I have no objection to the bulletin. I believe it to be a good thing; but think when the State Board goes into an expense of that kind, it should use no partiality, but should be heartily in sympathy with every department.

J. M. MILLIKIN : As I said before, the State Board have gone to the trouble and expense of employing gentlemen to report, in reference to the exhibition of domestic animals, in the four different departments. There are a great many valuable suggestions made in these four reports that have heretofore gone before the people. It is very desirable that they shall have that information before they can obtain it through the regular annual report. Now, it is right and proper that the State Board may supplement to this report a full statement of the premiums awarded. There is no objection to that, but the reports we want published, and my information was that the cost would not probably exceed $100.00, and I received that suggestion, about the probable cost, from one of the members of the Board.

The resolution was adopted.

LOCATION OF STATE FAIR.

W. B. McClung moved to take from the table the resolution relative to the location of the Ohio State Fair at Columbus.

The motion was agreed to.

The Secretary, by request, read the resolution.

WM. H. HILL, of Hamilton county: I am opposed to that resolution. I would rather to-day favor a resolution that would make the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical Institution what it should be, the greatest institution in the United States; that our youths might not have any occasion to go to other States to be educated in regard to matters pertaining to agriculture and mechanics; and I do hope that this Convention will vote that resolution down, and that the Board will hold its Fair on the grounds of the Franklin County Agricultural Society as long as they can arrange for it, and as long as the citizens of Columbus will contribute a liberal amount. That is my reason for opposing it. W. B. MCCLUNG: The resolution is not gotten up antagonizing the State University, by any means. gentlemen, on that point, that it is rather a new question to ask the Legislature for fifty acres to be put under the control of the State Board of Agriculture; but my idea is, that they may have the exclusive control of it. Now, I am not prepared to say that it is best to take fifty acres of that land; but I am very clear in my mind in reference to one fact

for the purpose of I want to state to

that is, that it is better for the Ohio State Board of Agriculture to have the entire control of its grounds, rather than to have it in conjunction with others. I do not wish to reflect upon the county society here, but I think it is very desirable that the fair be permanent, and that the Board have the exclusive control of the ground. Now, I don't care a cent how this is brought about. If those connected with the Franklin County Board of Agriculture, as an organization, will look toward that, and have the grounds turned over to the county commissioners, and that then the county commissioners will give to the Ohio State Board of Agriculture the entire control of the grounds for the State Fair, so that it can belong to the State and be controlled by the State Board of Agriculture, and that they may put up such buildings and improvements as they see fit under their direction and control, the object would be obtained. I am very well assured in my mind that all this can be done, and that it is to the interest of the city of Columbus, if the State Fair is located, that they see to it that there are grounds somewhere in the vicinity of Columbus that shall be obtained, and that shall be entirely under the control of the State Board. That is the object I have in view. I do not want in any way to deteriorate the State University of Ohio. When that institution was to be established, I worked very hard for more land. I wanted a thousand acres, as my friend Jones, who is one of the Board of Trustees, knows; but we were defeated in that, and only got some three hundred and thirty odd. But I am not sure, after all, that the question is not worthy of considering, whether if the State Fair, located upon the ground of the Ohio State University, with its buildings, its attractions and its close alliance with the college, would be any detriment to the college. I am not so certain that the houses and the fixtures and the material gathered around there would not be in unison with the university, as I have said, and rather promotive of good to the college than any detriment to it, hence I have drawn this resolution.

It will only be necessary that a petition be signed and sent to the General Assembly, and that will give all parties ample time to consider this question. Then if the Franklin County Agricultural Society will come forward and take the proper steps to turn their grounds over to the the State, that will accomplish the end. If this is not done, then, I think, without question, if the State Fair is to have a permanent location, that no better place could be got than on the college grounds. I have no doubt that the grounds in connection with the university would be ample for the use of the State Fair, and if the State Board could take part of this ground and commence with a clean sheet, there is no doubt they could put up and maintain State Fair grounds there that would be very creditable, and accomplish the ends we desire.