268 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



ville. Although we were offered an entire outfit of beautiful 

 Oriental rugs, we did not care to assume any responsibility 

 regarding them, and the beautiful Oriental rugs were not 

 colonial, and we took the carpets and the colonial andirons, in 

 fact, everything that was purely colonial, and it was indeed a 

 delightful house in which to give receptions. A good deal of 

 the furniture was sold, a great deal of it at advanced prices. 

 Some of the pieces went at very good prices, and some of them 

 could have been sold over and over again. The house itself 

 has been purchased and repurchased. We sold it, and we have 

 lately been informed that someone else beside the original pur- 

 chaser has paid a bonus to secure it. 



Connecticut Day and Connecticut Week at the fair (though 

 perhaps in regard to this I am speaking from a prejudiced 

 standpoint) was really wonderfully successful. In the first 

 place, the weather was ideal. It was perfect Indian summer 

 all the time. The Governor was with us, the State officers, 

 and the Governor's staff ; two companies of infantry and one 

 of horse guards, and when we paraded everything was in our 

 favor. We owned the fair for the day. The parade was 

 headed by the Philippine Guard. This is composed of a picked 

 body of men from the Philippines, and are practically like the 

 enlisted men that serve under the United States government. 

 They were a fine looking lot of fellows, alert, quick, and drilled 

 like a machine. In addition to them we had some Missouri 

 regiments, which took part in the parade. You know how 

 beautiful the Foot Guard looks in their continental regimentals, 

 but out there the continental uniforms were a surprise. The 

 western people were not very familiar with them. When they 

 paraded it seemed as though there were more people than I 

 had ever seen together on a similar occasion. It was the talk 

 of the day. The Indiana and Pennsylvania commissions told 

 us afterwards that we were the real thing that day. They had 

 planned for a certain social function at their house, but they 

 reconsidered it, and came over to us and said it was no use ; that 

 they could not go on ; that there had been no such celebration 

 as that among the entire group of States. 



Another thing in which we can take a pardonable pride 

 was the fact that the Connecticut house was dedicated exactly 

 on time, and every function from its dedication to the reception 

 given to President Francis was accomplished exactly on time. 



