1864. 



THE iLLtsrOlS J'AEMER; 



265 



Respecting this committee we wouIt( remark 

 that it should be composed of active, efficient men 

 who will attend to their duties. Men who can de- 

 vote their time to this object alone. Not such a 

 committee as was selected last year, who had no 

 time to attend to their duties but simply hunted 

 out some of their friends and acquaintences and 

 played the agreeable to them, while the mass of 

 visitors went strolling through the streets through 

 the whole night, denouncing the town and people 

 because they could get no decent place to sleep. 



K the right steps are taken the coming State 

 Fair can be made the most pleasant to visitors of 

 any Fair yet held in the State. For the reputa- 

 tion of our citizens and the good name of our city, 

 we hope this matter will be looked to in time.- — 

 Decatur Gazette. ', 



The above contains sound advice. If the city of 

 Decatur wants the State Fair let them see to it 

 that visitors are accommodated and not over- 

 charged. Last year the city government charged, 

 we believe, three dollars for leave to carry passen- 

 gers two and from the Grounds. This of itself was 

 a great wrong, for it threw out hundreds of 

 teams from the country who would have carried 

 passengers but for this three dollar tariff. We 

 hope fer the good name of the city that no such 

 extortion will be repeated. Far better that the 

 city fathers should look out every farmer boy who 

 has a good team and spring wagon, and encour. 

 age him to carry passengers. On several occasions 

 we walked the distance rather than ride in an over- 

 loaded wagon with the spriags shut together, and 

 with a stand up seat for which fifty cents was 

 charged. 



The suggestion in regard to the committee is a 

 good one and should be acted upon. Let a fund 

 be raised to pay this committee by the day, and 

 not depend upon business men to attend to its du- 

 ties. The city police, who are familliar with all 

 parts of the city, should be on the committee. — 

 People who have friends and relatives in the coun- 

 try would do well to invite them to attend the Fair 

 "We do not wish to draw a picture of last year, 

 but if it is repeated Decatur may close up its beau- 

 tiful fair ground, for it will be the last of the 

 State Fair at that point — Ed. 



Profits of Sheep— Pine vs. Coarse. 



A correspondent of Skohegan furnishes us a 

 statement of the cost of keeping one hundred sheep 

 of the fine, and also the coarse wooled breeds. He 

 says in reply to "Shiloh" that the oily part of a 

 sheep which goes into the wool, as in the Merino, 

 prevents that offensive taste to the mutton of this 

 breed, of which he complains ; and that the mut- 

 ton of the Merino brought a higher price in New 

 York in 1861 oud 1862, than that of the coarse 

 wooled varieties. We are not disposed at this 

 tune to argue the former nor deny the latter point, 

 but that many other breeds of sheep are superior 



to the Merino for mutton, is conceded beyond con- 

 troversy. We present below our correspondent's 

 figures in regard to the cost and profits of keeping 

 the fine and coarse breeds : 



Leaving a balance of $"75. 



100 Fine Woolkd Shxsp. 



20 tons hay, $10 per ton 

 500 lbs. weol at 45c. 

 80 lambs at $1 50, ■ 



|200 00 



$376 00 



$225 00 

 120 00 



-, •-:■■-'. ■ ■ $846 00 



Leaving a balance of $145. — Maine Farmer. 



For the prairie we do not think the above a f«r 



exhibit. Suppose we make a slight change : 



100 CoARSK Wooled Shbbp. 



^■■■"":^. ■-■■" ■^■" '/ ; Ur..";' z;";:'^,^ 



80 tons hay, $5 $150 00 



500 lbs. wool at SOe, $400 00 



100 lambs, $3 300 00 



$700 00 

 Leaving a balance of $550. From this must be 

 deducted other expenses which will largely reduce 

 the sum before the nett profits can be reached. 



100 FiNB Wooled Sheep. 

 20 tons hay, ' t, " $100 00 ' C-J 



400 lbs. wool, ; - - $400 00 



80 lambs. . ; ; . 240 00 



$640 00 



$540 00 

 The difference is really so small that it may wel^ 

 be called a mixed question, and one for each 

 flock master to settle to suit himself. Our own 

 fancy is for the strong, healthy, long wool mutton 

 sheep ; but then we are near a good market for 

 mutton. When mutton is also an object we should 

 not hesitate to choose the long wool. If wool was 

 the only object the variety is more a matter of 

 taste. We put the price of hay at what it is worth 

 on the farm, not in the city or village market — 

 Ed. 



Comstock's Spader. 



M. L. Sullivant, of Champaign county, Illinois, 

 wrote the Farmer Clvb of New York, in relation 

 to this spader, as we find in the N. Y. Tribune of 

 a late date. We also observe that Evans' rotary 

 spader is to be at the State Fair. We shall look 

 forward to the measurement of the crop alluded to 

 with no small interest — Ed. 



