294 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



The following criticisms, which are to the point, were pub- 

 lished in one of the dailies recently : — 



There is room for considerable improvement in the matter of 

 judging of stock at agricultural fairs, as everybody knows who has 

 been either manager, exhibitor or spectator. Too often the judges 

 are picked up on the spur of the moment, more because of their 

 availability than their qualifications ; too often the judges are 

 biased for some animal, article or owner, and purposely nominated 

 for tliese reasons ; too often tlie inspections are carelessly made 

 and hurried through as a mere matter of form ; too often no rea- 

 sons are given for the decision rendered, and thus the public, for 

 whose benefit these fairs were instituted, are as much in the dark 

 as aforetime. These things ought not so to be. The Common- 

 wealth, on whose generous bounty many of the fairs feed, and the 

 public, who freely pay their individual admission fees, have a right 

 to all of the educational benefits. 



Another practice, which prevails in several societies, of 

 awarding premiums on grain products, without requiring 

 statements in writing relating to the growing of the crop, 

 ought to be discarded. The public take but little or no 

 interest in the mere stating that A received seven dollars on 

 the best five acres of corn, or that B received six dollars on 

 the best four acres of oats. The statement that A and B 

 received the same amount for the sale of the grain, would be 

 of equal interest. If statements in writing were required, as 

 to nature of soil, ploughing, cultivating, kind and quantity 

 of fertilizer used, treatment of the land the preceding year, 

 etc., to be published along with the transactions of the 

 society, the information might benefit others. There is room 

 also for improvement in the matter of farmers' institutes, 

 which the societies are required to hold. These meetings in 

 some sections of the State are thinly attended, and their 

 utility not appreciated. If more practical farmers would 

 attend and participate in tlie discussions, making them more 

 practical, a much larger interest would soon be manifested, 

 and a large amount of information be disseminated. 



