5. BURNET LANDRETH, Bristol, Bucks county. 6. DAVID H. BRANSON, Atglen, Chester County 7. WILLIAM H. HOLSTEIN, Bridgeport, Montgomery county. 8. TOBIAS BARTO, Reading, Berks co. 9. S. S. SPENCER, Lancaster, Lancaster county. 10. DANIEL H. NEIMAN, Easton, Northampton county. 11. D. J. WALLER, Bloomsburg, Montour county. 12. IRA TRIPP, Scranton, Luzerne county. 13. J. S. KELLER, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill county. 14. GABRIEL HIESTER, Estherton, Dauphin county. 15. JOSEPH PIOLLET, Wysox, Bradford county. 16. ROBERT P. ALLEN, Williamsport, Lycoming county. 17. JOHN A. LEMON, Hollidaysburg, Blair county. 18. 19. JOHN S. MILLER, Huntington, Huntingdon county. CHAUNCEY F. BLACK, York, York county. 20. L. A. MACKEY, Lock Haven, Clinton county. At large, J. A. PAXSON, Philadelphia. ADDITIONAL MEMBERS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. By Election. county. ABNER RUTHerford, Paxton, Dauphin | John H. Ziegler, Harrisburg, Dauphin county. WILLIAM TAYLOR, Womelsdorf, Berks JEFFERSON SHANER, West Chester, Chescounty. ter county. Ex-Presidents. FREDERICK WATTS, Carlisle, Cumber- WILLIAM S. BISSELL, Pittsburgh, Alleland county. gheny county. DAVID TAGGART, Northumberland, North- JACOB S. HALDEMAN, Harrisburg, Dauumberland county. phin county. JAMES MILES, Girard, Erie county. Ex-Officio. D. W. SEILER, Harrisburg, Dauphin WILLIAM H. EGLE, Harrisburg, ELBRIDGE MCCONKEY, Harrisburg, Dau- I. PRELIMINARY NOTICE. The administration of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society has, during the year 1884-85, principally directed its efforts to the completion of the improvements on its exhibition grounds at Philadelphia, and the holding thereon of its thirty-first annual exhibition. Of all the measures for the promotion of agriculture which devolve upon the Society, these were felt to be the most pressing, and early in the spring of 1885 plans for the laying out, grading, and surfacing of the walks and drives and for the extension of the track for the parades of cattle and the trials of horses, were matured. The changes in the locations of stalls and other sheds made necessary by this extension were also decided on, and, as the season opened, contracts for the work were received and satisfactorily confirmed, and it was proceeded with. The exhibition of 1884 had conclusively shown the need of increased accommodations for exhibitors. The financial condition of the Society required the expenditure of the least possible sum in providing such accommodations, and delayed and embarrassed the decision on the plans of the additional buildings. These were, after due consideration, agreed upon, contracts for their erection let. and the structures completed in time for occupancy. Such of them as may be regarded as annexes to buildings put up the year preceding have been made to harmonize with those buildings, while the new Floral Hall, in location, accommodations, and height, constitutes a most attractive feature of the grounds. When the Society abandoned the practice of migrating from city to city in the holding of its exhibitions, and located itself permanently, it necessarily substituted substantial buildings for the temporary ones to which it had been accustomed, and those last erected are believed fully to conform to the requirements. A neat and tasteful police office and an express office were erected in proximity to the executive offices. The latter were enlarged by the addition of an annex for the telegraph offices, and for those having business at the Treasurer's office, adjoining. The space thus gained in the interior was neatly fitted up and furnished for the office of the President. A grand stand was put up on the line of the extended track, and protected by a roof. The space beneath the staging, thus secured against rain, was readily let for restaurant purposes. The galleries constructed in the main building since the preceding exhibition notably improved the accommodations. In one of them, devoted to educational appliances and systems, a kindergarten was in operation daily, and the Indian pupils from the male and female branches of the Lincoln Institution showed their apti OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY FOR 1885. PRESIDENT, A. WILHELM, York, York County. VICE PRESIDENTS, 1. GEORGE BLIGHT, Philadelphia. 4. WILLIAM M. SINGERLY, Philadel- 5. BURNET LANDRETH, Bristol, Bucks county. 6. DAVID H. BRANSON, Atglen, Chester County 7. WILLIAM H. HOLSTEIN, Bridgeport, 8. TOBIAS BARTO, Reading, Berks co. 10. DANIEL H. NEIMAN, Easton, North- 11. D. J. WALLER, Bloomsburg, Montour county. 12. IRA TRIPP, Scranton, Luzerne county. 13. J. S. KELLER, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill county. 14. GABRIEL HIESTER, Estherton, Dauphin county. 15. JOSEPH PIOLLET, Wysox, Bradford county. At large, J. A. PAXSON, Philadelphia. ADDITIONAL MEMBERS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. By Election, county. ABNER RUTHERFORD, Paxton, Dauphin | JOHN H. ZIEGLER, Harrisburg, Dauphin county. WILLIAM TAYLOR, Womelsdorf, Berks JEFFERSON SHANER, West Chester, Chescounty. ter county. Ex-Presidents. FREDERICK WATTS, Carlisle, Cumber- | WILLIAM S. BISSELL, Pittsburgh, Alleland county. gheny county. DAVID TAGGART, Northumberland, North- JACOB S. HALDEMAN, Harrisburg, Dauumberland county. phin county. JAMES MILES, Girard, Erie county. Ex-Officio. D. W. SEILER, Harrisburg, Dauphin ELBRIDGE MCCONKEY, Harrisburg, Dau- I. PRELIMINARY NOTICE. The administration of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society has, during the year 1884-85, principally directed its efforts to the completion of the improvements on its exhibition grounds at Philadelphia, and the holding thereon of its thirty-first annual exhibition. Of all the measures for the promotion of agriculture which devolve upon the Society, these were felt to be the most pressing, and early in the spring of 1885 plans for the laying out, grading, and surfacing of the walks and drives and for the extension of the track for the parades of cattle and the trials of horses, were matured. The changes in the locations of stalls and other sheds made necessary by this extension were also decided on, and, as the season opened, contracts for the work were received and satisfactorily confirmed, and it was proceeded with. The exhibition of 1884 had conclusively shown the need of increased accommodations for exhibitors. The financial condition of the Society required the expenditure of the least possible sum in providing such accommodations, and delayed and embarrassed the decision on the plans of the additional buildings. These were, after due consideration, agreed upon, contracts for their erection let. and the structures completed in time for occupancy. Such of them as may be regarded as annexes to buildings put up the year preceding have been made to harmonize with those buildings, while the new Floral Hall, in location, accommodations, and height, constitutes a most attractive feature of the grounds. When the Society abandoned the practice of migrating from city to city in the holding of its exhibitions, and located itself permanently, it necessarily substituted substantial buildings for the temporary ones to which it had been accustomed, and those last erected are believed fully to conform to the requirements. A neat and tasteful police office and an express office were erected in proximity to the executive offices. The latter were enlarged by the addition of an annex for the telegraph offices, and for those having business at the Treasurer's office, adjoining. The space thus gained in the interior was neatly fitted up and furnished for the office of the President. A grand stand was put up on the line of the extended track, and protected by a roof. The space beneath the staging, thus secured against rain, was readily let for restaurant purposes. The galleries constructed in the main building since the preceding exhibition notably improved the accommodations. In one of them, devoted to educational appliances and systems, a kindergarten was in operation daily, and the Indian pupils from the male and female branches of the Lincoln Institution showed their apti tude for acquiring the primary education, and some of the mechanical occupations of the whites. The introduction of the electric light into the grounds and exhibition buildings rendered them as attractive during the evening as they were during the day, but the unpleasantness of the weather prevented many from availing themselves of the opportunity who would otherwise have done so. The excessively hot weather of the early weeks of September, 1884, when the exhibition of that year was held, told so unpleasantly on live stock and visitors that the Committee of Arrangement postponed the opening of the exhibition of 1885 until the 21st of that month. Before its close, unusually cool weather and the so-called "equinoctial storm" set in, rendering the temperature uncomfortable within as well as without the buildings, reducing the number of visitors, and, therefore, the sum of the receipts below those of the preceding year. In order to broaden and intensify the interest in certain departments of the show, arrangements were made with societies organized for the purpose of promoting the objects constituting these departments. This had been done in 1884, especially with the Pennsylvania State Poultry Society and the Philadelphia Kennel Club, to each of which the use of a building for its show had been given. To them, this year, the Society of Arts had been added, and to it the main building assigned. Largely composed of Philadelphia manufacturers, the Society filled the spacious building allotted, and with a much finer collection of manufactured goods than that of last year. The bench show of dogs was also remarkably fine, while that of poultry surpassed any show previously held in this country. The advantages of securing coöperation in these three departments were, therefore, abundantly proved. The grading of the milk of a cow by the number of pounds of butter which can be made from it has, on account of its inexactness, never found favor with this Society. By the retention of buttermilk, the addition of salt, &c., the weight of the product of the churn, in proportion to the milk from which it is obtained, may be caused to vary greatly. The chemical analysis of the milk, so far as its butter-fat and its casein, or cheesy matter, are concerned, is a much more trustworthy test of its value for dairy purposes. This test the Society has had applied to the principal breeds, the milk of more than one animal of each breed having been taken for the purpose. Experiments to test the value in cultivation of the seed-grain awarded prizes at the Society's exhibitions have been continued, and the question of carp-culture has received attention. Reports on these subjects, as well as on that next-above mentioned, will be found included in the proceedings of the Executive Committee. The multiplication of wind-mills, the variety in their construction, and their many applications to the obtaining of water-supply, to drainage, to |