EXPOSITION, PARIS. 



313 



moved and replaced by others, when damaged 

 or blunted. 



New threshing machines had arrangements 

 for bruising and chopping the straw, where it is 

 intended for fodder, adapted for the hard straw 

 of hot countries. A steam-engine was exhibit- 

 ed which is adapted for all the various work 

 on a farm, as threshing, plowing, grinding, 

 hauling, etc. Machines were shown in which 

 all kinds of vegetable refuse could be used as 

 fuel. A tea-leaf-rolling machine, which rolls 

 600 pounds of tea per hour, and Allen Ran- 

 some's new steam tree-feller, were among the 

 interesting novelties. A marked feature in the 

 English exhibit was its international character ; 

 very many of the devices were not at all suit- 

 able for British agriculture, but were intended 

 for all the quarters of the earth ; not only were 

 there inventions designed for the agricultural 

 processes of the Hindoos and distant colonists, 

 but the wants and preferences of the Euro- 

 peans had been studied and met as well. The 

 chain-harrows of Howard do their work more 

 effectively than the stiff or even the jointed 

 harrows usually employed. 



The French exhibited a large number of por- 

 table engines, threshing machines, and other 

 steam and other machinery, and with little in 

 their construction which was new. Screening 

 machines of low price, with perforated plates, 

 which separate the round seeds, instead of the 

 usual wire sieves, which work much faster, were 

 shown by several makers. The prices of the 

 portable engines and other machinery were 

 lower than those given on the competing En- 

 glish implements, while the French workman- 

 ship was admirable. A threshing machine, 

 constructed by MM. Albaret, of Liancourt, had 

 a straw elevator attached, and feeding arrange- 

 ments by which the straw was preserved unin- 

 jured; also a guard which prevented the legs 

 of the workman from being caught in the ma- 

 chinery ; this machine turned out 65 to 70 

 bushels of grain an hour in a very clean condi- 

 tion. Among the curious and useful contriv- 

 ances in the French section were the apparatus 

 for milking cows mechanically, without direct 

 contact with the udders, and a potato-peeler 

 which had an arrangement of circular knives ; 

 also the steam incubators and apparatus for fat- 

 tening poultry, which have long been in use 

 in French farmyards. In the kiosk devoted to 

 tobacco industry was a machine for making 

 cigarettes, which, by means of a cogged gear- 

 ing, cuts the papers from a large coil, nils them 

 with tobacco, rolls and gums them, and throws 

 the finished cigarettes out into a box, all with 

 amazing rapidity. A singular machine for pack- 

 ing tobacco receives the measured-out quantity 

 of tobacco and wraps and seals it almost in- 

 stantaneously and with remarkable neatness ; if 

 the package is not of exact weight, it will not 

 work, but returns the package unfinished. 



Exhibitions of Animals. A live-stock exhi- 

 bition was opened on the Esplanade des Inva- 

 lides on the 9th of June. There were 356 



French exhibitors, 145 English, 39 Belgian, and 

 a dozen each from Holland and Italy, with a 

 few Swiss and Danish, and one from Portugal. 

 The French and foreign exhibitors did not 

 compete with each other ; but two sets of prizes 

 were given, England bearing off nearly all in 

 the foreign exhibition. All the leading breeds of 

 British stock were represented from the farms 

 of nearly all the largest breeders in England. 

 The Continental breeds of cattle were well rep- 

 resented ; the Dutch oxen and northern breeds 

 were there ; about 50 fine specimens of Swiss 

 cattle ; fine Norman stock, good milch and beef 

 cattle ; and the handsome, silky-coated Charo- 

 laise breed ; the Flemish, a large animal ; and 

 the Gascon, Breton, and other French varieties. 

 The French exhibition of merinos was the 

 great feature in the sheep show : this breed 

 has changed in size and fleece within the last 

 few years, on account of the reduced demand 

 for wool and higher price of mutton. The 

 French Southdowns were fine but inferior to 

 the English. In the poultry exhibition the 

 French excelled the English and other exhib- 

 itors in both the style and quality of their 

 fowls. 



A dog show, held in June, contained speci- 

 mens of the finest-bred dogs in the world, con- 

 tributed by 600 French and English sportsmen 

 and lovers of the animal. The English fanci- 

 ers carried off about one third of the prizes. 

 There were few exhibits from other countries. 



A competitive horse show, which came off 

 in the early part of September, was more in- 

 ternational in its character than the other ex- 

 hibitions of animals; yet the English were with 

 the French the chief competitors for the prizes, 

 as in the other shows. England sent thor- 

 ough-breds, carriage and saddle horses, ponies 

 and draught animals, to the number of 65. 

 Belgium had 83 entries, most of them draught 

 horses, 26 of the latter taking prizes. The 

 Hungarian government stud and the Pesth soci- 

 ety for breeding exhibited 51 horses, selected 

 rather with regard to their utility than for 

 the firier points, in which Hungarian stock is 

 notably not lacking. Grand Duke Nicholas ex- 

 hibited 17 animals, including a superb Arab 

 war-horse, named Rustchuk. There were small- 

 er collections from Holland, Denmark, and 

 Italy. The number of horses exhibited was 

 over 1,000; 21 of those belonging in France 

 and Hungary, and several of the Russian exhib- 

 it, were of pure Arabian blood. 



Concerts. During the entire exhibition con- 

 certs were given in the great hall of the Troca- 

 d6ro, and in the smaller one adjoining, called 

 the Salle des Conferences. These concerts 

 were of a national character, and prizes were 

 offered for an international competition be- 

 tween bands of chorus-singers and orchestras 

 from the different countries. In the official con- 

 certs works older than 1830 were not allowed, 

 while to those of living composers was given 

 the preference. From French composers 10 

 great orchestral pieces, and 16 of chamber 



