186 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Aug. 



stitched nnd counter&titched, until more thread and 

 labor are expended upon thorn than would buy a 

 much mere becoming jrarmont. It is so in all things 

 — there is scarcely an ellbrt made to simplify and 

 cheapen implements of labor. They are improved, 

 but at the same time rendered costly, compli- 

 cated an>l almost unmanageable. Practical men 

 begin to feel this and to speak it out, but the great 

 fancy farmers of England glory, of course, in these 

 ponderous, glittering, " scientilic" things. The dis- 

 tricts around London, beyond the gardens, are noted 

 for poor farming. I saw there four horses attached 

 to a plow, placed one before the other, with a man 

 to drive and one to hold the plow, and the whole cav- 

 alcade managed to turn an eight inch furrow at the 

 rate of two miles an hour ; but such a sight as this 

 would not be seen in Northumberland or Durham ; 

 there one can see the best farming in the world. 



I have made minute and careful notes, which I 

 shall bring forward hereafter. There are about Eng- 

 lish implements many points that we can adopt with 

 advantage, and mod.ify to suit our purposes. Our 

 implement makers might have learned much here. 

 I have had frequent occasions to regret that our im- 

 plements an 1 many of our other articles were not 

 properly shown and explained to visitors. .In every 

 department of almost every other nation yoii cannot 

 look at an article without having an attendant step 

 forward and politely offer you all necessary informa- 

 tion. If each collection of implements had been 

 accompanied by a competent person to explain and 

 show their merits and to defend them from the at- 

 tacks and misrepresentations of the English papers, 

 they would have stood now in a ditierent position. 



The ridiculous paragraph which appeared in the 

 New York Herald, speaking of a probable insurrection 

 in London during the exhibition, is, it is believed here, 

 the great cause of the hostility of the newspapers, 

 and especially of the Times, to the American depart- 

 ment. Not a single syllable has been said dispar- 

 agingly of any other nation's articles or arrangements, 



I must close this without referring to many mat- 

 ters that I intended to speak of. P. B. 



LoNDo.v, June 19, 1851. 



In regard to products of the soil and implements 

 for culture, the objects that are most interesting to 

 me, I am greatly disappointed in the great show. I 

 apprehended that these departments would be over- 

 looked amidst the more attractive arts, but it is not 

 so. The display of these articles is grand. In im- 

 plements and machinery applied to agriculture, there 

 never was before so complete and comprehensive a 

 display ; and from nearly every nation, there are 

 samples of field products. I regret to see such a 

 scanty show in this way from our own country, so 

 surpassingly rich. Our seedsmen, gardeners, and 

 nurserymen, our extensive grain growers in dirt'crent 

 parts of the country, our timber dealers, and every 

 class connected with the natural or cultivated pro- 

 ducts of the soil, should all have been called upon 

 to contribute, and some assistance should have been 

 given in necessary cases. We might in this way, 

 if in no ct'ier, havo made a display that would have 

 elicited the admiration of the world. 



Canada has in this way done herself great credit 

 and attracted much attention and admiration. 



Opposite her compartment we see in the nave or 

 broad aisle, among tJie statuary and other grand and 



n.otable objects, a huge trophy of looods, the natural 

 products of the Canadian forests, all dressed on one 

 side, showing the finish each is susceptible of. The 

 beautiful black walnut, curled maple, birch, k.c., at- 

 tracted much attention. Ship timbers were also inclu- 

 ded. When we enter the compartment, we arc struck 

 with long ranges of barrels of vi'heat, flour, beans, peas, 

 Timothy seed, buckwheat flour, a very complete col- 

 lection of garden seeds, all fip.e samples, hemp and 

 hemp seed, flax seed, clover seed, maple sugar and 

 double refined sugar, hops, starch, biscuit and crack- 

 ers, leather of different sorts, furs and skiijs dressed ; 

 of the last there were three finely arranged, effective 

 groups, that threw a sort of character over the col- 

 lection. Then there was honey, pork, beef, lard, 

 tobacco and snuft'; a barrel of verv nice vinegar 

 from beechwood, by Messrs. Gillespie &, Co., of 

 Montreal ; beef tongue, smoked hams, and Bologna 

 sausages, besides a multitude of other articles per- 

 taining to food. 



In manufactured articles, they made a good dis- 

 play. I noted good plows, some elegant sleighs, and 

 robes of fox, bear, and wolf skins, harness, cordage, 

 hay and manure forks, scythe snaths, a case of good 

 table and pocket cutlery, black walnut and other fur- 

 niture, a beautiful set of blackwalnut chairs, "to be 

 presented to the Queen, on behalf of the ladies of 

 Montreal," woolen cloths, samples of Glaussen's pa- 

 tent flax cotton, fine chopping axes from Dundas and 

 Toronto, jewelry and dentistry, fire engines, &.c. 

 Then they had a fine show of their mineral wealth ; 

 large pieces of copper ore from Lakes Huron and 

 Superior ; silver, gold and iron ore ; blacklead, gra- 

 nite, marble and slate, gypsum, shell marl and sand- 

 stone, millstone rock, soapstone, sand for glass mak- 

 ing, jasper and agate from Lake Superior, and a mul- 

 titude of other things. 



Geo. H. Ciieney, of Toronto, sent a good sample 

 of a cooking stove with copper furniture ; also a par- 

 lor stove, and a case of types. I have enumeratea 

 these articles, as well to s'low what Canada is pro-* 

 ducing, as to show how varied her exhibition here ; 

 and I have not mentioned half the articles. All 

 were well arranged, too, and mado a good impression. 



Had we been so industrious or ambitious, what a 

 show we could have made. I have been strongly 

 impressed with the naiural sources of wealth and 

 greatness there exists in the Canadian soil. These 

 evidences come home at once to the mind, and many 

 and many an Englishman aild Frenchman and Ger- 

 man and Russian has left the Canadian department 

 with enlarged ideas of troth her natural resources 

 and advancement it the arts. 



I have really felt prolid of our neighbors, for we 

 are so united by proximity and business interests, 

 that I consider thom as almost "of us," and I find 

 many good loyal subjects of her Majesty who believe 

 they will be, and that at no very distant day. 



It is now approaching two months since the won- 

 derful show was opened to the public, and during all 

 that time a steady stream of visitors has flowed into 

 it, at the rate of 40 to 50 and 60,000 a day. At this 

 moment the interest, instead of cooling down, is ac- 

 tually becoming more intense, even among the re3i- 

 dents of the city. The number of visitors increase 

 daily, until they now reach about 70,000. Only 

 think of that. And then think of this huge glass 

 building, containing samples of all departments of 

 British industry, and that of forty other nations be- 

 sides — indeed, nearly the whole civilized or semi- 



