COUNTY AND DISTRICT REPORTS. 265 



Hamilton county is situated in central Indiana, and is fast becoming the peer 

 of any county in the State. For richness of soil it is one of the leading counties. 

 White river courses through it from north to south, throwing out her rich alluvial 

 bottoms, thus giving thousands of acres of fine corn land, upon wl\ich our farmers 

 produce annually a large amount of corn, and the adjacent warm, sandy uplands 

 furnisli a much larger acreage for wheat. Almost all the swamp lands of our 

 county have a thorough system of underdrainage, thus leaving but a very small 

 per cent, of waste or worthless lands. Our farmers are fully up to the times in 

 the Vvay of improved farm machinery, and all other improvements as well. As 

 evidence of the prosperity of our people one need but look about him and see fine 

 residences, many of them slate-roofed, large and commodious barns, good fencing, 

 and a happy and contented people. Our county is developing in stock raising 

 rapidly, and to-day can be seen grazing contentedly upon our fertile soil many fine 

 herds of cattle. When we look back to twenty years ago and contemplate the 

 steady and rapid growth of our county in material wealtli, we can but predict a 

 bright future for our people. 



We have at present sixty miles of railroad, 140 miles of free pikes, and still a 

 larger amount of toll roads in our county. We have quite a number of tile mills 

 running, the proprietors of which are ahle to sell even more than they can manu- 

 facture. The worm' fence still lingers as a reminder of the past, but it must soon 

 go (having served its time of usefulness) with the log cabin and the duck pond, 

 and in its stead will come plank and wire, thus saving to the farmer the very great 

 annoyance of keeping the old fence row clean. We have at present quite a large 

 amount of plank and wire fencing, perhaps twenty par cent. Our farmers are be- 

 ginning to learn the very important fact that they can not afford to waste their 

 timber, by making it into rails, when plank and wire are so much cheaper. 



GicoKGE M. Young, 



Secretoru. 



HARRISON COUNTY. 



The twenty-fifth annual fair commenced on the 1st day of September, 1884, and 

 continued five days. It was thd most successful fair the county ever held. The 

 exhibition, in every department, was very fine, and the attendance unprecedented. 

 For information in regard to the number of entries, amount of premiums paid, at- 

 tendance, and amount of receipts and disbursements, I would refer to the tabular 

 statement presenti-d herewith. And without referring to each industry individ- 

 ually, I would say that the progress in every industry, with the exception of sheep 

 husbandry, has been entirely satisfactory; and were our sheep properly i:)rotected 

 from the ravages of the useless dogs that arc kept and harbored by a class that 

 manifest no interest in anything that tends to build up a community, it would re- 

 ceive its share of attention. Give us back the law, tag or shoot the dogs, and then 

 we can raise sheep at a profit. , 



