The Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society has announced what it is calling a quiet fund-raising campaign this week to raise money to help offset the cost of its recent land purchase in West Tisbury.

The society and the Polly Hill Arboretum bought nearly 10 acres of land from the Martha’s Vineyard Museum last summer for $1 million. The agricultural society contributed $800,000 to the purchase and the arboretum contributed $200,000.

The land lies between the arboretum and the fair grounds.

Agricultural society president Dale McClure said this week the money raised will go toward paying off a mortgage on the land. “We’re running pretty close to the wire here to be able to make the payments,” Mr. McClure told the Gazette. “It sure would be nice if something happened; $800,000 is the number we would love to raise, that would clean that mortgage up.”

There are no immediate plans for the use of the land.

“We bought it because it’s the only land left we could buy,” he said. “It was more about preservation for the future.”

Donations may be sent to M.V.A.S. P.O. Box 73, West Tisbury, MA 02575.