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THE ILLINOIS F-A^MER. 



1 



169 



riNB ARTS. 



This Hall is not bo well filled as we 

 could wish, but the specimens are mostly 

 very choice. * 



As yott enter from the east door the first picture to the 

 riRht that will attract your attention is a paintinp of " Honest 

 Old Abe" mauling rails in 183it. c-tripped to the shirt and 

 pants, he stands a picture of the rural laborer over whom 

 waves the umbrageous drapery of i.ur western woods. In the 

 suppression of names the clever artist is lost Just above, is 

 another portrait of Mr. l^incoln. Uoth well done. 



A case of dentist's instruments and tetth is close at hand, 

 among which we note a new material for making the roofing 

 and gum of arfificial teeth. The vulcanized India Rubber by 

 Drs. Bennett & Chaffe, of St. Louis. 



Busts of Messrs. Lincoln and Douglas very finely gotten up. 



Specimens of engraving by W. D. Baker, of Chicago, all 

 most beauiifully cut. This is the artist who does up the work 

 for the Illinois Fakmek. 



"Sparking" is a picture worth going a hundred miles to 

 •ee. 



A large number of paintings and engravings on the right 

 si'le of the Hall, but without names of artist or subject, which 

 makts them lose half their interest. Wiil not the owners 

 post up tiieir names for the benefit of us beniglued editors at 

 least? 



On the left side of the Hall Is a fine painting of Venus and 

 Cui)id. The drapery that is so gracefully thrown around her 

 is ol the most gossamer fabric, and must have tested the paint- 

 er's art. 



Specimens of Spenceriao penmanship are of the highest 

 order. 



Specimens of card writing by Mr. Silover, are most excel- 

 lent. 



A piece of statuary, " The Struggle for the Heart," is well 

 worthy a long pdgrimage. It was drawn by Charles Coffin, 

 from the Cosmopolitan Art Association, of New York. 



The first importation from Japan, 10 specimens of lacquered 

 ware. 



A case of birds by R. H. Holder, of Bloomington, attract 

 no small attention. 



This side of the Hall is well filled with 

 fruit pieces and small paintings, but we 

 regret that the list of premiums was so 

 meagre and we trust that next year the 

 premiums will be much enlarged. 



At the entrance is a tombstone containing a vast amount of 

 gingerbread work. 



(reo. W. Chatterton, of Springfield, has a fine case of pre- 

 mium silver ware from whi.;h lucky exhibitors may select. 



On leaving the Hall we met the Su- 

 perintendent, Hon. C- B. Denio, in com- 

 pany with Miss Anna B. Millikin, of 

 Decatur, the clever artist of the " Rail 

 Splitter.'' 



Another landscape painting of no small merit. A scene 

 on Rock river, near Grand Detour, by A. 11. Payne, of Ogle 

 county. 



The sugar makers are busy making 

 syrup and have demonstrated that it 

 can be done. Cook's evaporators was 

 the centre of attraction to a large num- 

 ber of farmers interested in the culture 

 of the sorghum. 



The sewing machines have kept up a 

 steady motion, and the crowd around 

 them was packed to an uncomfortable 

 extent. One old lady from near Wood 

 Creek, said : " They would ruin all the 

 gals now, for it was nothing but buy and 

 buy store clothes, and Sally Gillett had 

 done nothing but make petticoats the 

 last six months, so that neow shfe was 

 as big as a hogshead. It was tu bad, 

 and them fellers who was tu work like 

 an old woman with little wheels had best 

 get shut of the things and go at some- 

 thing else." This conversation was 

 partly directed to Butler, who had charge 

 of the Wheeler & Wilson machine, which 

 had just been honored with the blue 

 ribbon. B. undertook to argue with the 

 old lady, but she would not be so easily 

 molified. At last a happy thought oc- 

 curred to Butler, and he stepped across 

 the area and purchased a bottle of Gar- 

 vin's crinicultural for the hair, to pre- 

 sent to her daughter Bessey, who, the 



old lady said, " was a nice gal, but 

 plague take it, she was bound to have 

 one of them tarn 1 iron sewin' m:ichines.'' 



The steam plow was in the field, but 

 some part of the machinery was not in 

 order, and on the whole, the trial was 

 not STJtisfactory. A large number of 

 persons were out to the trial and much 

 intetest was manifested in its success. 

 It is a proud idea to steam down the 

 prairie slopes and turn up the hidden 

 elements of vegetabb nutrition, but we 

 fear it will be some time before suceess 

 that will satisfy the man of dollars and 

 cents shall be attained. 



The excitement in the ring has been 

 unabated throughout the day. 9,000 

 tickets have been sold for admission to 

 the amphitheatre, and the amount re- 

 ceived up to this time is ^2,500, and at 

 the gate to this time, $9,000. 



FIFTH DAY— SEPT. 14. 



NATURAL HISTOIIY. 



Benjamin D. Walsh, of Rock Island, 

 the well known entomologist, has a large 

 and interesting collection of insects. It 

 would seem hardly possible that so many 

 varieties of bugs, beetles, etc., could be 

 found in the btate , but here we have 

 the proof in this vast collection, num- 

 bering 2,500 species. With the excep- 

 tion of about seventy-five species, they 

 were all collected within four miles of 

 Rock Island. In addition to this, he has 

 five hundred more specimens at home, 

 which owing to ill health, he was pre- 

 vented from arranging. Gentle reader, 

 do not be alarmed for tVie good people 

 of Rock Island, who are infested with 

 such a startling array of bugs, for around 

 your own home they swarm in the same 

 profusion. If you have any doubt, set 

 a candle or lamp in a plate of oil on 

 any pleasant evening, and you will have 

 occular demonstration of the fact upon 

 a small scale. Soon after the Presiden- 

 tial election, which now absorbs all other 

 considerations, it is the intention of Mr. 

 W. to exhibit his entire collection at the 

 principal points in the State, and deliver 

 a course of popular lectuies on Entom- 

 ology, to illustrate this interesting de- 

 partment of Natural History, and to 

 point out to the farmer, the orchardist, 

 and the gardener, who among this great 

 horde of the insect world are his friends, 

 and who his enemies, in order that he 

 may foster the one and guard against 

 the other. 



This collection of Mr. W.'s comprises 

 twenty cases most tastefully and truth- 

 fully arranged. 



BOTANY. 



The large collection of Botanical 

 specimens presented for the gratification 

 of the public by Mr. M. S. Bebb, occupy 

 almost the whole of one of the long 

 cases, and yet the plants lay in piles of 

 twenty deep. He has over 1,500 speci- 



mens, representing a thousand different 

 species, nearly all of which are indigen- 

 ous, and the remainder introduced and 

 acclimated. Mr. B. is an enthusiastic 

 student of nature, and deserves well of 

 his country. He is a son of Ex-Gov. 

 Bebb, of Ohio, who was for a long time 

 a resident of Winnebago county; but 

 now hails from Knoxville, Tenn. Young 

 Mr. Bebb makes his home in Marion 

 county, a most interesting region in 

 which to pursue his studies in the great 

 field of nature. Mr. Bebb took the 

 first premium. 



We next note the collection of botani- 

 cal specimens collected by Miss Rhodes, 

 of Bloomington, which were obtained in 

 and near that city. The collection is 

 well gotten up and reflects no small 

 credit on the good taste and persever- 

 ance of Miss R. She takes the second 

 premium. 



There are two other small collections 

 of plants, but from the want of names, 

 we could learn no particulars. 



COLLECTION OF SHELLS. 



Mr. J. W. Powell, of Wheaton, Du- 

 Page county, has a large collection of 

 nativ^e shells, which our rivers and small 

 streams have yielded to his industry 

 They number about eight thousand 

 specimens, representing some two hun- 

 dred and fifty species. In addition to 

 this large collection, Mr. P. has over 

 four hundred species of marine shells, 

 from the shores of old Ocean. 



BIRDS. ■■■' 



We have before noticed the extensive 

 collection of birds by Mr. R, H. Holder, 

 of Bloomington; they have continued 

 to attract visitors throughout the Fair, 

 not only for their numbers but the ex- 

 cellent manner in which they have been 

 preserved. Mr. H. deserves no small 

 amount of credit for his exhibition in 

 behalf of the Natural History of our 

 State. When we take into considera- 

 tion the large amount of time required 

 to collect and preserve these specimens 

 we may wonder how a private citizen en- 

 gaged in active and extensive trade can 

 accomplish so much during his hours of 

 relaxation from business. Mr. H. has 

 we are happy to say, been elected one 

 of the Yice Presidents of the State Ag- 

 ricultural Society ; and we are assured 

 that the Natural History department 

 will continue to receive the fostering 

 care of the State Society. 



INDIAN WEAPONS. 



A large collection of Indian relics and 

 geological specimens from Schuyler coun- 

 ty, are exhibited by Mr. Scripp, the ed- 

 itor of the Schuyler Citizen. They are 

 very interestiug. Among them are huge 

 battle axes, of porphyritic granite, every 

 variety and description of flint arrow- 

 heads, hatchet and spear heads. These 

 last are from the bluffs in the town of 

 Frederic where they are found in quan- 



