THE STATE FAIR. 189 



its limit of usefulness — unless, perhaps, it be in Texas, or California, or Oregon, or 

 sonfic of our new territories, acquired, or to be acquired, by hook or by crook — but, 

 for Jicat cattle, we should think one, or at most two calves, would sufiice and be as 

 many as the mother could well bring up. We have heard of sows having twenty 

 at a litter; but, rather than encourage such extravagance in pig bearing, we would 

 sooner give a premium to the owner of a sow that should be content with littering 

 eight, provided he would bring them like eight such as we saw a few days since 

 in the piggery of Mr. B. A. Hall, of Lebanon, which will weigh, at little more 

 than 12 months old, about 2.400 pounds ! 



The display of stallions at Auburn proved, as usual, the most attractive and 

 admired point of the Fair ; and truly they were meritorious as they were numer- 

 ous. Here, again, we trace the immediate connection between competition and 

 excellence, and the hope of immediate gain. The animal is itself locomotive, 

 easily brought to the ground, and the owners have recourse to the Fair as the 

 best theatre for exhibition and sale. Hence the great number to be usually met 

 with, not only here, but on militia parade grounds and at political meetings. But 

 where are the large, roomy, well-bred, fine foreliandcd, flat-legged, brood mares, 

 that we should expect to find by dozens in the heart of a country so famous as 

 " Western New-York" is, throughout the southern country, for the production 

 of the most showy and the best harness nags ? For these we have looked in vain, 

 as indeed for match horses, such as bring, in the middle and southern States, from 

 $500 to $1,000. They must be somewhere ; but these Fairs seem not to bring them 

 forth. An exhibition such as we might and had hoped for, of a large number of 

 such superior mares and single colts and match horses, would be a most acceptable 

 indication, not only of a general spirit of improvement, but of a readiness to take 

 some little trouble and to be at some little expense to promote the patriotic ob- 

 jects of this great State association. But of this proof of a common zeal and a 

 common readmess to cooperate in the public useful objects of these shows, there 

 was no proof at all. The few mares and cattle of common breeds, except oxen, 

 that were exhibited were of such character that we believe the Committee recom- 

 mended the premiums to be withheld. A better show of mares would be met 

 with at any county exhibition in Maryland or Virginia. So we return again, with 

 pleasure, to remark that the display of stallions was superior to any we have seen 

 in the State. It must be for some very odd and unimaginable purpose that a 

 man wished to breed anything of the horse kind, who could not be suited here, 

 whether in the heavy-bodied dray horse ; the huge Cleveland bay; the thin- 

 skinned, courageous racer; the hardy Canadian ; the Mambrino trotting stock, or 

 the short-jointed, close-knit, active Morgan horse. All were there, at his com- 

 mand. Of Hogs, we shall only remark that those, if any, who could not be sat- 

 isfied with such as were there, can easily breed for themselves, even to a given 

 number of white-feet, as pigeons are bred to a feather. 



The display of fruit, especially of apples, served to corroborate the proofs, so 

 everywhere abounding, of the suitableness of the soil and climate of New- York 

 to the growth of that fruit, and to make it apparent that the apple crop is wor- 

 thy of more general attention. 



Finally, is it not to be apprehended that in most of the departments where ex- 

 cellence was exhibited, it was rather the fruit of individual exertion, stimulated 

 by gainful purposes, and which would have been elicited under that influence in- 

 dependently of the Stale Society, or the fruit of a generous and most commend- 

 able disposition on the part of importers of cattle, which have been now so fre- 



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