456 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



To the President and Executive Committee of the Michigan State Agricultural Society: 



Gentlemen — The whole ntimber of entries in Division II at our la-^t Fair was 342. 

 Bnt this (Iocs not, by an}' means, show the extent or character of the exhibition, as a 

 very large number of exhibitors were content simply to buy a membership tioltet, 

 and not enter their goods at all. This practice is no doubt owing to the fact tliat we 

 offer no premiums in our division except in one class. 



PLOWS. 



The number of entries in Class 39 was 27, made principally by the Gale Manufac- 

 turing Co., Albion, Mich., and Woodford & Niles, Detroit, for the VViard Plow Co. 

 Botii of these parties made large exhibits of their line of goods. 'J'here was also a 

 fine display made by the Oliver Chilled Plow Co., the South Bend Co., Indiana; the 

 Three Rivers Co., Mich.; the Niles Plow Co., Niles, Micii.; Dodge Plow Co., Kalama- 

 zoo, Mich,; the Ann Arbor Manufacturing Co., Ann Arbor, Mich., and Furst & Brad- 

 ley of (;hicago, III., together with a number of single articles, the name of the exhib- 

 itors of which I did not obtain. Great improvement has been made in the plow in 

 the last fifty years, in fact our fathers would hardly recognize the plow to-diiy, yet 

 the march of improvement goes steadily on from year to year. The farmers of 

 Michigan owe a gieat deal to whoever invented the cliilied plow and made it of prac- 

 tical use. To that idea, in our opinion, is due in a great measure the energy dis- 

 played by marmfacturers and inventors in giving to us the implement we use to-day. 

 The Oliver Chilled Plow Co., of South Bend, Ind., and Furst & Bradley of Chicago, 

 111., each exhibit sulky plows, which are coming into quite general use, and attracted 

 great attention during the fair. 



CLASS 40. 



The number of entries in this class was 45. Stanley & North, of Birmingham, 

 Mich., exhibited field rollers; Albion Manufacturing Co., Albion, Mich., spring-tooth 

 harrows and cultivators and seeder attachment; Luther & Sumner, Grand Rapids, 

 Mich., ditto; P. P. Mast & Co., Springfield, O., ditto; D. C. & ILC. Reed, Kalamazoo, 

 Mich., ditto; Luther & Sumner, also, cultivator, with seeder; Ann Arbor Manufac- 

 turing (;o., display of cultivators, not entered; S. S. Allen, Philadelphia, Pa., one 

 horse hoe. not entered; F. & J. Bauman & Co., Kalamazoo, Mich., one sulkey liarrow 

 and cultivator, not entered; Lawrence & Chapin, Kalamazoo, Midi., cultivators, not 

 entered. There was also exhibited by Albion Manufacturing Co., Luther & Sumner, 

 and P. P. Mast & Co., each a fine disphty of corn and fallow cultivators, with all the 

 latest improvements, making altogether a very fine show. There were also shown 

 iron harrows and pulverizing harmws, by Woodford & Niles, Detroit, and smaller 

 implements, by different exhibitors, that made the class very full. 



CLASS 41. 



Hui«ber of entries, 41. The display in this class was very full. The articles shown 

 were all of first-class make, and showed such perfection in the application of mechani- 

 cal and inventive knowledge that it would seem that we could get nothing more 

 from that source. The articles exhibited were grain drills of the various kinds, 

 broadcast seeders, grass and clover seed sowers, for hand or horse power, ashes and 

 plaster sower, manure cart pulverizing and spreader combined, fertilizer attachment 

 for drill, corn, and bean planters. 



The principal exhibitors were: Albion Manufacturing Co., Albion, Mich,, broad- 

 cast seeder; P.P. Mast & Co., Springfield, O., broadcast seeder, grain drills, and grass 

 seed sowers; Ludlow, Thomas & Rogers, Springfield, O., fertilizers, grain drills, and 

 grass seed sowers; Kmpire Drill Co., Jackson, Mich., tertilizers, grain drills, and grass 

 seed sowers; C. R. Taylor, Jackson, Mich., combined broadcast seeder and cultivator, 

 grain drills, and grass seed sowers; Farmers' Friend Manufacturing Co., Dayton, O., 

 fertilizers and grain drills; J. W. Stoddart & Co., Detroit, fertilizer-^, grain drills, 

 and grass seed sowers; Johnson, Geer & Thurman, Cleveland, O., fertilizers and grain 

 drills; Van Brunt & Davis, Horicon, Wis., grain drills, etc.; Smith & Allshouse, 

 Detroit, grain drills. 



There were also exhibited in this class, by F. & J. Bauman, Kalamazoo, Mich., 

 sulky harrow and seeder, seed drills, grass and clover seeders; Blair Brothers, 

 Homer, Mich., gr.iss and clover seeders; I. P. Warner & Co., shoe drills; D. E. 

 Mesherry & Co., Dayton, O., fertilizers and plain drill; Wayne Agricultural Co., 

 Richmond, ind., seed drills, B. S. Williams & Co., Kalamazoo, Mich., combined culti- 

 vator and seed drill. These exhibits, together with others that 1 cannot name, were 

 not entered on our books. 



