Vol. 6. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



163 



COUNTY FAIRS AND CATTLE SHOWS. 



As a general remark it can be truly said that these 

 Exhibitions, throughout the State, have been better 

 attended, and more worthy of the Farmers of New 

 York, this Autiunn, than at any previous season. — 

 This statement will apply to Monroe, Livingston, 

 Chautauque, Onondaga, Yates,Tompkins,Tioga, Jef- 

 erson, Madison, Washington, and we doubt not many 

 other counties from which we have no information. 

 Premiums have been awarded on Crops and Domes- 

 tic Animals, v/hich show a decided improvement on 

 those of former years. The number of competitors 

 has usually been larger than at former exhibitions, 

 and every thing evinces a growing interest in these 

 Annual Eestivals. The good spirit should be kept 

 alive by the establishment of a Farmers' Club in 

 every town in the State. The members of these 

 Clubs should meet, as they do in England, once a 

 month, for the dis"-ussion of agricultural topics in 

 which all can participate, and both communicate and 

 receive much valuable information. If the tillers 

 of the soil would meet oftener, and talk over all 

 matters pertaining to good husbandry, the advantage 

 would soon be very great. They would soon dis- 

 cover the value of agricultural papers, in which the 

 knowledge of the wisest could be concentrated, and 

 there scattered broad-cast over the whole State. — 

 Knowledge is the grand Lever that will move the 

 Agricultural World. 



The Addresses delivered at the County Fairs, so 

 far as we have seen them, show more reading and 

 research on the part of the speakers, than can be 

 found in any former efforts of the kind. Good books 

 on the Science and the Art of Agriculture are much 



by running six or seven miles an hour, while it would 

 last more than twenty at four miles an hour. 



Fine Durham cattle were shown, and many speci- 

 mens of improved native cattle. But many of the 

 best animals in the county were not on the ground, 

 being excluded from premiums by former success in 

 this respect. Agricultural Societies, to maintain 

 the interest of their fairs, must adopt some new 

 cource to bring these fine fellows again together. — 

 A very good lot of young steers and heifers were 

 presented by several cattle breeders, as a proo,f of 

 the excellence of their stock, a practice well worthy 

 of imitation. The display of line wool sheep was 

 good; and of swine, decidedly meagre. 



The committee on poultry, although prevented 

 from visiting any hen roosts, gave a premium to one 

 applicant from a written statement. He keeps his 

 hens in a largo airy house, warm in winter, and lets 

 them out every day, using no yard. By this plan, 

 and with much cleanliness and attention, he has 

 cleared 90 per cent., the manure paying for attend- 

 ance. Specimens of good, fresh eggs were shown, 

 which had been kept two years. 



The Horticultural exhibition, though not large, 

 was decidedly fine. Sweet potatoes of his own rai- 

 sing, were presented by H. G. Dickerson of Lyons, 

 who also, with many others, exhibitedexcellent gar- 

 den vegetables, roots, &lc. E. W. Cobb took the 

 first premium on apples, and W. R. Smith the sec- 

 ond; and H. F. Dickerson, on very fine Scckel and 

 Virgalicu pears. 



Handsome reeled silk was presented by D. B. 

 Biakesley, and a large collection of domestic fabrics 

 by several contributors. Premiums were given on 

 miscellaneous articles of many kinds, including blan- 



eought after, and doing a great deal to instruct and ).„♦„ ^^;„4;„ c t J- a u; L u^t „ j 



,s^,, - r" rtu ui . kets, paintings, very fine stufied birds, hats and caps, 



elevate the young farmers of the whole country. „„„iu ,„„,.u^*' „u;„ i«„v,,i !>„„'„ «„«.,," 4oki^^ 



■JO ■' needle work, stockings, "children s nxens, table co- 



Kor tlie Geuc38e Farmer. 



WAYNE CO. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY 

 Held its annual fair at Palmyra, on the 1st and 2d of 

 the present month, with the usual interest in the ex- 

 hibition. It was interesting to observe the visible 

 improvement in domestic animals, since the com- 

 mencement of these fairs a few years ago. The 

 young horses were very fine, and consisted largely 

 of the colts of the celebrated " Alfred," of "Samson" 

 and of the Morgan horse, "Tiger." These three 

 distinguished stallions were also themselves upon 

 the ground and excited great attention. Samson, 

 probably the finest specimen of the English draught 

 horse in America,* appeared more like a locomotive 

 for strength, than any animal we have seen; and from 

 the power he has shown in draught, it was presumed 

 he could outdraw, alone, any yoke of oxen. His 

 half blood colts partake largely of his strength and 

 hardihood, ^'llfred, to whom was awarded the first 

 prize of the State Society at Rochester, is well 

 known as a superb specimen of the English carriage 

 horse ; and the Morgan Tiger is a fine specimen of 

 the Morgan breed of horses, remarkable for energy, 

 hardiness rnd fire. The mania for fast-driving and 

 carriage-breaking, is evidently declining, and horses 

 for strength and endurance becoming more esteem- 

 ed, especially by our farmers, nine-tenths of whom, 

 in going **to mill, to market, and to meeting," rare- 

 ly want to, or ought to drive more than four or five 

 miles an hour. A wagon will wear out in ten yeara 



* Kvpry friend of agricultural improvement, will learn with re- 

 gret, that this fine horse died suddenly and almost uoaccountablf , 

 a_f«w hours after his exliibition outhe grounds. 



vers, work bags, toilet cushions, boots and shoes, 

 shawls, wooden-ware, veils, quilts, wire screen, cab- 

 inet ware, tin ware, chairs, leather, cheese-presses, 

 stoves, buggies, flour, poultry, clover seed, k-c. Sev- 

 eral successful competitors for premiums, in the dif- 

 ferent classes of objects, generously and patriotical- 

 ly returned them at once to the society, for the ben- 

 efits of its funds. 



The annual address was given by O. Archer, and 

 was well adapted to awaken enthusiasm and arouse 

 interest on this great leading pursuit of mankind. — 

 Although, as he very correctly remarked, a man is 

 to be known and respected by his character, indus- 

 try, and talents, — and not by his profession. He sta- 

 ted wrongly, when he said, that by the increase of 

 intelligence among farmers, they were coming up to 

 the level of respectability found in other professions; 

 they happened never to be below — at least since the 

 flood — in my opinion. A very interesting and use- 

 ful fact stated in the address, was, that it had been 

 found in the eastern manufactories, that an educated 

 and intelligent person would do much more work 

 with the same oatlay of strength, than an uneducated 

 person; — how much more then, would the difference 

 be, in the almost infinitely more multifarious opera- 

 tions in farming. Let no one say, then, that men 

 are spoiled for labor by education — there are other 

 ways enough to account for the difficulty when it 

 exists. J. J. T. 



t There was one exhibition on the showgrounds permitted and 

 looked upon by some of the inhabitants for nearly an hour, which 

 should have beeu immediately suppressed, vizt wrfstling, amon^ 

 what appeared bull -dops in human shape. The other animals oa 

 the ground were well bohaved. These things mnst lie publicly re- 

 proved. 



