CONSTITUTION

OF THE

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

ARTICLE 1. There shall be a President, four Vice Presidents, a Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall be Trustees, ex officio; in addition to these, thirty (originally twelve) other Trustees shall be chosen from the members at large, all of whom shall continue in office until others are elected in their stead.

ARTICLE 2. There shall be an Annual Meeting of the Society, at such time as the Trustees shall determine; at which all officers shall be elected. Twenty members at least shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

ARTICLE 3. If at any meeting of the Society, or the Trustees, the President and Vice Presidents shall be absent, the members present may appoint one from among them to preside at such meeting.

ARTICLE 4. The President, or, in case of his absence, either of the Vice Presidents, with the advice of the Trustees, may call a special meeting of the Society: or whenever a written application, with the reasons assigned therefor, shall be made by any twelve members of the Society, to the President and Trustees, they shall call such meeting.

ARTICLE 5. The meetings of the Trustees shall be held at such time and place as they shall from time to time agree upon; seven of whom with the presiding officer shall make a

quorum.

ARTICLE 6. The Trustees shall regulate all the concerns of the Society, during the intervals of its meetings; propose such objects of improvement to the attention of the public, publish such communications, and offer premiums in such form and value as they think proper, (provided the premiums offered do not exceed the funds of the Society); and shall lay before the Society, at each of its meetings, a statement of their proceedings and of the communications made to them.

ARTICLE 7. The Secretary shall take minutes of all the votes and proceedings of the Society and of the Trustees, and enter them in separate books; and shall record all such communications as the Trustees shall direct. He shall write and answer all letters relating to the business of the Society.

ARTICLE 8. The Treasurer shall receive all moneys due or payable to the Society, and all donations that may be made to it; for which he shall give duplicate receipts, one of which shall be lodged with the Secretary, who shall make a fair record thereof. The Treasurer shall from time to time pay out such moneys as he shall have orders for from the Trustees; and shall annually, and whenever thereto required, render a fair account of all his receipts and payments to the Society or a committee thereof. He shall give bonds for the faithful discharge of his duty, in such sum as the Trustees shall direct, and with such sureties.

ARTICLE 9. A committee shall be appointed annually by the Trustees, to audit the Treasurer's accounts, who shall report to the Society; and the same being accepted shall be entered by the Secretary in his books.

ARTICLE 10. In case of the death, resignation, incapacity, or removal out of the County, of the Secretary or of the Treasurer, the Trustees shall take charge of the official books, papers, and other effects, belonging to the office that may be vacated, and give receipts for the same; which books, papers, etc., they may deliver to some person whom they may appoint to fill the office until the next meeting of the Society, at which time there shall be a new choice.

ARTICLE 11. Any citizen of the County may become a member of the Society, by paying the sum of THREE DOLLARS to increase the permanent fund of the institution.

ARTICLE 12. A committee shall be raised, from time to time, to solicit and receive subscriptions for raising a fund for encouraging the noblest of pursuits, the Agriculture of our country; the same to be sacredly appropriated to that purpose.

ARTICLE 13. All ordained ministers of the Gospel who reside within the County, shall be admitted honorary members of the Society.

ARTICLE 14. In addition to the usual number of Trustees annually elected, the past Presidents of the Society shall be honorary members of the Board of Trustees.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.

ADOPTED SEPT. 29TH, 1863.

ARTICLE 1. The officers of the Society shall consist of a President, four Vice Presidents, a Treasurer, Secretary, and thirty Trustees.

ARTICLE 2. A Committee of one from each city and town in the County, represented in the Society, shall be appointed

at each annual meeting, by nomination from the floor, to report a list of officers, (with the exception of Treasurer,) at the next succeeding annual meeting, which report shall be acted on, and the officers elected at said meeting by the ballots of the members present.

ARTICLE 3. The Treasurer shall be elected annually by the Trustees, at their meeting in November.

ARTICLE 4. The Committee on Nomination shall hold its meeting prior to the first day of July each year; and its report shall be immediately placed in the hands of the Secretary, for the examination of any member of the Society; and the Secretary shall cause ballots to be prepared in conformity with said report, for the use of the members, and presented at the annual meeting.

ARTICLE 5. The first election under these amendments to be had at the annual meeting in 1864, and they shall only apply to the Trustees so fast as they go out of office under the present tenure of election.

AMENDMENT ADOPTED SEPT. 24, 1867.

Trustees of the Society shall not be eligible to act upon the nominating committee; and members of the nominating committee shall not be eligible as candidates for Trustees.

AMENDMENT ADOPTED SEPT. 29, 1868.

Each member of the Committee for the nomination of officers shall be empowered to appoint a substitute in case he declines serving.

AMENDMENT ADOPTED SEPT. 23, 1873.

Article 1st, amended so as to provide that one Trustee from each town in the County, in which there are members of the Society, shall be chosen from the members at large.