Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/343

 HISTORY OF STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 335 The original members of the association were as follows : Barnhart, C. Lewelling, Seth Brock, D. Pearce, Ashby Cox, Joseph Prettyman, - Cox, William Schnebley, D. J. Cornelius, G. Stanton, Alfred Davenport, T. W. Stone, E. G. Gilbert, I. N. Ruble, William Gilmore, S. M. Taylor, William B. EUrvey, A. Terry, Chester N. Ho well, Joseph Walling. J. D. Jones, George M. Woodsides, J. Ladd, J. W. Of these men, but two are now living, viz., T. W. Davenport, Silverton, and Joseph Howell, on Sauvie's Island. The above item is given to show that the idea of organiza- tion in relation to the production of fruit, as well as agricul- ure in its widest sense, was beginning to take hold of the people. During the county fairs held in the fall of 1859 it was agreed that the executive committee of each county society should choose a delegate from each county to form a State executive board to arrange all preliminaries for organizing a State Agricultural Society, and holding a fair in the year 1860, and the editor of the Oregon Farmer was authorized to call a meeting of such delegates, which he did on December 7, 1859, in the following words : "In accordance with an understanding among the different county agricultural societies that have elected delegates to meet and adopt the preliminaries necessary to the inaugura- tion of a State Agricultural Society for Oregon, that the editor of the Oregon Farmer be authorized to call the said delegates together notice is given that they are requested to assemble at Salem on the 22d day of February, 1860, and adopt such measures as they may deem necessary. It is re- quested that in all the counties in the State having no organ- ized society, meetings will be held and delegates appointed to represent them. This is a matter in which we all are in- terested. ' '