528 STATE BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



grounds, and those renting grounds and privileges from the society. But while this 

 is and sliould be our policy, it is absolutely essential to our success as a society, not 

 only financially, but to retain our good name, that our rules must be adhered to in 

 all particulars. Tliey do not allow the selling of intoxicating drinks, nor of any 

 immoral or improper exhibitions of any kind, nor of any gambling within our gates. 

 Eating booths, shows of any kind which the rules permit, not belonging to our 

 exhibition, renting grounds and privileges must be made to comply with the rules of 

 the society, or vacate the grounds promptly. 



They must be assigned and confined to a space sufficient distance from all our fair 

 exhibits, that ample passage waj'- and standing room may and shall at all times be 

 maintained for all visitors. 



The crowded state of the grounds at our last fair rendered it almost impossible to 

 carry out these rules, and they were undoubtedly somewhat infringed upon, and as a 

 result, so far a reproach to the society; it must not occur again. 



ADMISSION TO THE FAIR. 



The present general system of admission tickets is satisfactory with the exception 

 of tickets for the admission of exhibitors and persons renting grounds of the society 

 for various purposes, for themselves and their emploj^es. I recommend a change in 

 so far that those tickets will be received only at a certain gate or gates set apart for 

 the entrance of such persons; and that no persons, employes or others, be admitted 

 without tickets after eight o'clock A. M. 



RULES. 



I recommend that the rules of each division be printed on the back of each entry 

 list of said division, in addition to their being printed in the premium list; and that 

 marginal notes be printed on all the rules and regulations in the premium list. 



SORGHUM. 



A few weeks ago, I fouud the following article in an agricultural paper, viz.: 

 " The successful application of the process for making sugar from sorghum, discov- 

 ered by Professors Scoville and Weber, of tiie Illinois Industrial University, has 

 caused great excitement all over the State, and farmers are getting ready to go into 

 the sorghum business, which will give them a larger profit to the acre than any other 

 product. Of 250 acres, the company which has been using the new process had pro- 

 duced 125,000 pounds of sugar and 22,500 gallons of molasses, valued at $19,000, or an 

 average of §76 to the acre." If the sugar and syrup, made from the sorghum as 

 above stated, can be manufactured at a reasonable price, with the flavor of good cane 

 sugar, it will be a very valuable production to the country, and save millions of dol- 

 lars in the way of duties on foreign and the enhanced price for the home production 

 of cane sugar to the consumers, of whom a very large majority are poor or of small 

 means, and in that sense would be a great benefit to those most needj\ I recommend 

 a suitable premium be offered for a satisfactory sample or samples of sugar and 

 molasses made by said process from sorghum, with a clear and concise statement of 

 how it is produced or manufactured. 



FORAGE. 



In the forage department, I recommend the purchase and use of suitable scales for 

 weighing the hay and straw furnished exhibitors, and the adoption and carrying out 

 the same rule with regard to the distribution of forage as that adopted at the Cen- 

 tennial Exhibition of 1876. The department has become difficult as well as expen- 

 sive to manage under the old system (even with the present able and experienced 

 superintendent), and have no doubt the change would accommodate the stock exhibi- 

 tors as well, or better, with less trouble to the superintendent, and a large saving of 

 expense to the society. 



BEE CULTURE. 



The Bee Keepers' Association, at their late meeting in Kalamazoo, resolved to 

 make a grand exhibit of honey, its product, at our next State Fair, if a suitable 

 building would be provided for them by the society; and liave appointed their Secre- 

 tary to attend our meeting to make known their wants and necessities. 



They liad a good exhibition at our last fair and It attracted considerable atten- 

 tion. They ask for larger and better discriminating premiums than last year, with 

 privilege of sales under the rules. I recommend the association be generously 

 treated and all their reasonable recxuests granted. 



