262 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



" The ' green horse ' of the rural districts, unaccustomed to 

 the strange sights and sounds of such an occasion, cannot act 

 naturally, and stands no chance with the trained nag of perhaps 

 much less power of speed. 



" Most persons who have witnessed such contests, must have 

 proof that the race is not always to the swift, — that the tricks of 

 jockeys, have more to do with the result than the speed of the 

 animals. Often has the writer heard the remark, when thou- 

 sands were watching the result, with breathless anxiety, ' That 

 the drivers knew- before starting which horse was to be the 

 winning one.' " 



Again, the editor of the " Canada Farmer," who attended the 

 exhibition of the New England Agricultural Society, held at 

 Concord, N. H., in 1865, remarks in his paper upon the corrup- 

 tion of agricultural fairs as follows : 



" The display of horses is a fine one, and forms, perhaps, the 

 leading feature of the exhibition. It is rather extraordinary 

 that this should be so, just after a four years' war, which has 

 been supposed to have drained the country of good horses. 



" The arrangement and order of the show left nothing to be 

 desired. Provisions were amply supplied at booths and tents on 

 the grounds. No intoxicating drinks were permitted within the 

 precincts, and not an instance of inebriety met our notice. 



" We were surprised, however, to find that whirley-go-rounds, 

 and side shows, of bears, snakes, war scenes, fat women and 

 skeleton men, were admitted within the enclosure. Still greater 

 was our astonishment to find that horse-racing formed a most 

 prominent feature in the proceedings, as conducted by the 

 agricultural society. 



" There was a trot each day, and purses to the amount of 

 $1,000, were offered by the society out of its funds. The 

 excuse for this is, that the people will not come out in sufficient 

 numbers to pay expenses, unless racing is provided for." 



The same editor says further : " Who would have thought 

 this in sober New England, the land of steady habits. Without 

 at all touching the morality of horse-racing, we cannot help 

 thinking that it is wholly out of place at an agricultural exhibi- 

 tion, and if our New England friends are at all inquisitive as to 

 how it ' strikes a stranger,' they are welcome to our unqualified 



