15 



i^O 



Tiin: illi:n"ois fa^i^]sii±:i^. 



Black Maplo, (^Aeer NnjuniJo,') Locust, Ca- 

 talpa, Ash, etc. The Kluis are about a foot 

 ill diameter, and show that at souie particu- 

 lir tiuie, the uianiu for tree phmtiiig took 

 poKsession of the people, and they submitted 

 to its potent sway, and strait f.rth went to 

 tiie skirts of the woods and took thence thous- 

 ands of Elms and a few hundred of ether 

 trees, and now they are richly repaid in syl- 

 vvn beauty, and the boughs of the graceful 

 Kim screens them from the heat of the Au- 

 gust sun. We could duly appreciate this 

 in our walk to the Fair ground.s, a distance 

 of one and a half miles. 



The Fair gronnds arc most beautiful, just 

 sufficiently undulating for draimige. The 

 surface is closely carpeted with tliat most 

 valuable of all our pa.'^ture grasses, the IJlue 

 Clrass. At an early day the lorest that cov- 

 ered the ground was thinned out, so as to 

 leave the wliole a most beautiful park, with 

 jii>:t enough of shade to make it pleasant, 

 and not too much to check the lu.Kuriant 

 growth of the blue grass. 



The outside fence is high and well made, 

 and encloses about thirty acres, nearly in a 

 s<|aaio form. On entering the gate you have 

 u panoramic view of the grounds and build 

 ings, with the great Amphitheatre in tho 

 center. To the right of the entrance is the 

 ticket office. The stalls lead off both to the 

 right and left, a.jd nearly encircle the wholi- 

 grounds. Those intended for cattle and 

 horses number five hundred and lifty, for 

 sheep and hogs three hundred ; these are 

 all well made, have tight board roofs, good 

 mangers, and in every respect better than 

 tho average ot those used on our farms, lo 

 which fact we would call the esj.ecial atten 

 tion of a large number of our farmers, wlm 

 take little heed where they tie up their 

 horses. Between the stalls and tiic trotting 

 ring, are hundreds of oak stumps ; these, we 

 suggested should be sawed off" to make seats, 

 iiLstead of being dug out to disfigure the 

 grass that so closely carpets their b;ise. The 

 trotting ring is liffy feet wide, and half a 

 mile iu circuit; it is very nearly graded.— - 

 As we pass over the ring, the first building 

 t J the right is the President's ofiice. twenty- 

 six by thirty feet, with bu.-^iness offices a lit- 

 tle further to the right; this building is 

 thirty-eight by one hundred feet, and at the 

 east end contains the sleeping apartment of 

 the officers. 'J'o tho south of this is one of 

 the boarding houses, forty by ninety teet, 

 with all the ap^dianccs (jf cooking in the 

 rear, to which is addod an extensive ice 

 house. The other boarding house is on the 

 e ist side of the amphitheatre, and is forty 

 by one hundred feet. The hall for Textile 

 Fabrics is a little to the west, and is forty 

 by one hundred feet. Tliis was gotten up 

 under the supervision of Mr. Van Enps, the 

 Superintendent ot that department, and iy 

 arranged in a very superior manner, and we 

 may expect to see this hall arran<;ed in the 

 most attractive styla; we regret that the 

 premium list is so parsimonious in this de- 

 partment We next come to the Floral 

 IJall, which is made iu the form of a Circek 

 Cross, each wing being forty by one hund- 

 red and six feet; in the center is to be a 

 small Fountain. The tables instead of being 

 flat, are made in the form of a turtle shell, 

 and will thus add much to facilitate the ex- 



amiration of fri.i';. On the east side of the 

 amj)hitheatre is the Natural History Hall, 

 twenty-eight by eighty foot; two glass show 

 cases run the length of the building, with 

 ample shelving on the sides, and at the end 

 an upright show case of eight by twenty 

 feet. This will be the first great exhibition 

 of Natural History in the State, and 'inder 

 the superintendence of Prof C. \). Will)ui, 

 it cannot fail of proving highly attractive; 

 we UKiy safely call this a new feature in our 

 Stale Fairs. The Farm Products Hall is 

 forty by one hundred feet. Tiie Fine Arts 

 Hall, thirty by ninety feet. Mechanic's 

 Hall is same size and shape of the Floral 

 ILdl ; of course it is a monster building — in 

 the aggregate 41-4 feet long. Power Hall 

 is thirty-four by seventy feet. Editor's 

 Room is yet to be built, but we have no 

 fears but that it will bo all the craft could 

 expect. The amphitheatre and buildings 

 are being white-washed with an excellent 

 whitc-Wiish, which for durability, color and 

 cheapness, is unrivalled. We wtmld es- 

 pccinlly call the attention of those of our 

 readers, to its value, who visit the Fair, the 

 recipe for which we intend to place iu our 

 Table next month. 



The Amphitheatre is tho great feature oi 

 of the hhow. On tlic inside of the railin:: 

 it is three hundred feet in diameter ; in 

 the center is an Octagon Pagoda, eighteen 

 teet, three stories high; a show ring, forty-six 

 feet wide, and the sixtecntli of a mille in cir 

 quit. Twelve seats rise one above another, 

 and on the outside is a promenade twelve 

 feet wide; the promenade and seats are well 

 protected from the weather; they are reached 

 i y six flights of stairs. Under the prome 

 iiadc and wcuts arc furty-two booths, eigh 

 teen by twelve feet, which will disjiense tin 

 creature comforts to the people. The Am 

 phitlieatre contains a goodly show of shade 

 trees, which gives it a Sylvan beauty, nor 

 olten met with. 



The boarding houses are both under 

 charge of W. W. Watson & Son, of Spring 

 ueld, well known confectioners of that city 

 The public need look for no leather pie> 

 from them, nor other such villainous com- 

 pounds as were served up last year. From 

 the well known ability and integrity of these 

 gentlemen, all may expect not only the 

 worth of their money, but to be civily treat- 

 ed in the bargain. 



Six wells on the ground, with good chain 

 pumps, together with the waste water from 

 the Fountains, ought to be enough. ^\'ateI 

 will be forced through an inch pipe with a 

 stear engine, for the Fountains, which wdl 

 keep them in active duty. The pipe for 

 this purpose comes from one of the Public 

 Institutions To Mr. C. Galtry, the super- 

 intendent of the improvements, much is due. 

 f )r his sound practical views, and his ability 

 to carry them out. He is one of the men 

 for the occasion, and the Local Committoc 

 ought to consider themselves fortunate in 

 the selection, and Jacksonville that their 

 h m is in such good keeping. We met Mr. 

 ilockwell, the acting member of the Com- 

 leittee, on the grounds, busy with the 

 details that is to give the citizens of Jack- 

 sonville so much credit for their energy and 

 good taste. So far, then, as the grounds 

 and buildings are concerned, they are in ad- 



v.ince of anything that has been had at our 

 State Fairs. The agreeable shade that these 

 old oaks will give to the September sun, will 

 be most acceptable. Tlie abundance of water, 

 tiic most superb camping grounds, and the 

 deep interest taken iu the success of the 

 Fair by every citizen, all conspire to point 

 to this as a most pleasant and profitable 

 gathering of the great industrial army, 

 which, if the weather should continue favor- 

 able, bids fair to eclipse all former efforts of 

 the kind. All of the public buildings are 

 to he thrown open fur lodging, and the hirge 

 hulls and reception rooms of these institu- 

 tions will afford no small amount of accom- 

 modation in this line. The conimodious 

 Dunlap House, and other hotels and private 

 residences are making large preparations for 

 lodg( rs. 



With such abundant crops, we may con- 

 fidently look forward to a most magnificent 

 .show of farm product.'^ A\'e would eani'jst- 

 ly advi.-^e every render of the Farmer to 

 carefully look over the premium list and see 

 if tliere is iiot somethiiig that he can exhibit 

 with a rea.«onab!e pnispect of success. Let 

 no line say that he has better at home ; by 

 doing this the value of the exhibition will 

 be enhanced, and many premiums taken 

 heme that had been before considered out of 

 their reach. 



^Ve learn that all of the railroads carry 

 articles for exhibition free, and passengeis 

 at half fare. The Great Western Railroad 

 will run an extra train from Decatnr in the 

 morning, connecting with tho morning train 

 (•n the HIinois Central, returning in the eve- 

 ning. This will give parties wishing to vis- 

 it Springfield an opportunity to do so. 



A Ft'ff Hours in Social Clrit with Prof. J. B. 

 Turiitr at Ills Home. 



All know Prof. Turner, either personally 

 or by reputation. Py some he is con.^idered 

 too progressive, by others impracticable, and 

 by very many of his friends who know him 

 best, as a truly scientific and practical man. 

 But however people may differ, all allow him 

 sincerity, and induiuitable perseverance, and 

 an abundance of the milk of human kind- 

 ness; to sum up, they place him on the list 

 of useful men, after deducting all of his sup- 

 posed or real defects. We have for a long 

 time been anxious to make him a visit, and 

 not until to-day (21st( has that wish been 

 gratified. 



IITS HOME CROUDS 

 Contain sixteen acres adjoining the Deaf 

 and Dumb A.sylum^ in the city of Jackson- 

 ville. These acres are enclosed on the street 

 by an O.sage hedge, so perfect that nothing 

 but village boys ever get through, and they 

 are not often tresspassers on his grounds. — 

 Three cross fences divide the grounds into 

 four small fields, one of which is devot- 

 ed to the house-ground.s, the garden and 

 orchard ; one to the pig, poultry and 

 and barn-yard; two others to the culture of 

 the Osage hedge plant; these latter are four 

 and six acres, and the hedge between them 



