AGRICULTURAL FAIRS AND THEIR BENEFITS. IO3 



Things are measured in these departments by grossness or mere 

 size. The overgrown is not the best in quality, and even the 

 exhibit is not representative of its class. It may be the exhibit- 

 or's ideal rather than the representative of the class or variety 

 to which it belongs. Everything shown at the fair should be 

 absolutely typical of its variety and for quality and symmetry the 

 best. When this becomes the standard, then fruit exhibits will 

 teach the onlooker rather than mislead him. 



PROCESSES. 



But I hold that fairs should now become something more than 

 a mere exhibit of things. They should be teachers of processes. 

 T have not the time to elaborate this phase of the subject, but 

 incidentally remark that state fairs should include museums 

 where not only should be permanently placed many things that 

 it is difficult to annually collect in the way of tools, grasses, foli- 

 age plants of the several sorts, charts, statistics, analyses, and 

 other things relating to agriculture and having value to its stu- 

 dents. It may be possible to illustrate the best way of mixing 

 Bordeaux and other spraying compounds with which many find 

 trouble in securing freedom from clogging. Permanent plots 

 may be laid out illustrative of the methods of testing soils 

 through the growing plants, each receiving the three essential 

 elements of plant food, alone and in their several combinations. 

 Dairy tests and other things that will suggest themselves to the 

 mind may well find illustration at the fairs. 



I am inclined to think that a lecture course of two or three 

 days' duration, of a semi-scientific or educational character could 

 be conducted for the several broader departments, the live 

 stock, vegetable, and fruit departments. Time will not admit of 

 the elaboration of this suggestion. 



I agree with the Boston editor's remark regarding the demise 

 of the Middlesex fair in so far as to say that fairs should pass 

 away in their old forms,- but only to appear again in a distinctly 

 more educational character, and purged of some of the censur- 

 able social features. 



I think the time will not pass away when man will cease to 

 love nature, whether he be city or country born, nor will pass 

 away the historic tendency to meet in groves or the open air. 

 Open air exhibits and social diversions will abide. 



