332 



THE GENESEE FARMEE. 



in size and color by the specimens from the warmer 

 climate, and richer soils of Ohio and Indiana." A 

 useful and attractive feature was a collection of 

 wild fruits^ shown by Trios. BusiiNELLof Ashland, 

 Ohio. It consisted of upwards of eighty species, 

 including grapes, nuts, acorus, persimmons and ber- 

 ries of all kinds. 



THE MICHIGAN STATE FAIR 



As usual, was held at Detroit Oct. 2—5. Unlike 

 our own State Fair, which was held at the same 

 time, the weather was fine. The attendance was 

 large, but the receipts, owing to a falling off in the 

 number of entries, were somewhat less than last 

 year. There were only 130 entrjes of cattl©. Last 

 year there were 215. In no single department were 

 the entries as numerous as the year before. Thiis 

 the aggregate entries in 18C-9 was 2340; this year 

 only 1718. Considering the improved condition of 

 the farmers prospects this diminution was unex- 

 pected. 



THE IOWA STATE FAIR 



Was held at Iowa City, Oct. 2—5. It was the 

 best and most successful of the seven exhibitions, 

 made by the Society. The entries for the last few 

 years show a gradual improvement. Thus, in 1856 

 the total number of entries was 956, in 1857, 

 1,139; in 1858, 1,044; iu 1859, 1,269; in 1860, 

 1,700. The cash receipts this year wore ab.out $4000. 



A correspondent of the World states that many 

 fartners were present who h'xd come from 50 to 200 

 miles in their own conveyances! No wonder that 

 a state settled by such a people is fast taking rank 

 among the foremost in the confederacy. There 

 was a fine show of cattle — the Shorthorns predom- 

 inating. Tliere were 33 entries of them and 12 

 of Devons. There were 82 entries of Grades and 

 Crosses making a fine display. "We believe Iowa 

 has furnished more fat cattle for the New York 

 market this year than any other state. There was 

 a )i'»i'r show of grains, fruits and vegetables. 

 There were numerous samples of Sorghum Syrup 

 and Sugar, indicating that the Chinese sugar cane 

 is cultivated to a considerable extent. 



Meetings were held in the evenings during the 

 Fair, at which the following subjects were dis- 

 cussed : " What breed of sheep is best adapted to 

 this state?" "Which is the most profitable for 

 Iowa farmers, to raise wheat for transportation, or 

 raise only suficient for home consumption and de- 

 vote their capital to raising stock and other pro- 

 ducts?" "What breed of horses is best adapted 

 to Iowa, all things considered, and same questions 

 in regard to cattle ?" 



THE NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE FAIR | 



Was held at Manchester Oct. 2 — 5 and appears i 

 to have been very successful. Leyi Baeti.ett 

 gives an account of it in the Country Geutleman. 

 He mentions a pair of Durham oxen, lueasiiring 10^ 

 feet in girth and weighing 8,087 lbs., lor wiiich 

 $1,200 was offered. A pair of twin lieifers were, 

 shown, 16 months old, weighing 2,080 lbs. When 

 one year old they did not vary a pound in weight 

 — and at no time since their birth have they varied 

 as much as 10 lbs. The mother of these twins was 

 herself a twin, and the year before the birth of 

 these heifers she produced a pair of twins, one of 

 both sexes. The heifers are three-fourtlis Durhanij^ 



Fine specimens of sheep of the various breeds 

 and crosses were on exhibition, and Mr. B. thinks 

 there is a tendency towards the rearing of muttou, 

 rather than fine wooled sheep. The Swine shown 

 indicated that the Land-shark and Pike varieties of 

 hogs have disappeared. 



One sample of Spring wheat was labelled "Fifty 

 Bushels per acre." Fruit was never finer. The 

 heu-fevcr having subsided, the show of poultry was 

 nearly whittled to a point. A small coop of Dor- 

 king fowls, two pairs of geese, and a pair of Mus- 

 covy ducks, was about the sum total of this depart- 

 ment of the Fair. 



There was a large display of Agricultural Imple- 

 ments. The Mowing Machines were numerous 

 and the attention they attracted and the favorable 

 opinion of them generally expressed indicated that 

 the time is not far distant when a large portion of 

 the grass of New Hampshire Avill be cut by horse 

 or ox power instead of the scythe. The "Young 

 America" Corn Sheller, if it had been a breathing 

 animal would have stood a " right smart chance" 

 of being smothered by the dense crowd who 

 thronged around to witness its practical operations. 



A "Churn and Butter Maker" that brought thfi" 

 butter in three minutes attracted much attention. 

 In a trial on the grounds the " butter was churned 

 inside of three minutes, salted, worked, and mould- 

 ed into pound lumps in less than ten minutes from 

 the time the cream was put into the cliurn. Hu- 

 man hands or fingers had not touched the butter 

 when exhibited, and it was none of the greasy, 

 mottled stuff, that too often passes under the name 

 of butter, but yellow, granular in fracture, solid and 

 sweet." We presume it was the same churn as 

 that exhibited at our own State Fair, and which 

 was claimed to churn in " a minute and a half." 



The Maine State Fair, the Fair of the American 

 Institute, the Pennsylvania State Fair, the Great 



