^;W*««5'W5'T3f'^ ^*?^7* 



"---r^n^isrr^i^jtfi^^f^m 



1864. 



THE ILLINOIS FAKMER. 



311 



The election went off with great harmony. The 

 new Board is much larger than the old one, and is 

 believed to be made up of first rate material. 



At the close of the meeting a resolution was of- 

 fered thanking the old Board for their care over 

 this great State institution, to which the members 

 added three rousing cheers for Prscident Van 

 Epps. The enthusiasm with which the old Secre- 

 tarj was re-elected, was a just tribute to his emi- 

 nent services as an officer of the Board. 



FOURTH DAY. ^^^ V 



Decatur, Thursday, Sept, 15, 1864. 



Again the sun comes up in his majesty uncloud- 

 ed, with a cool northwest wind, giving a guarantee 

 of fine weather to-day and to the end of the Fair. 

 The dust is the only thing becoming obnoxious. 

 Yesterday we found it impossible to dive through 

 the crowd, either in the Farm Product Hall or in 

 that of Textile Fabrics. But to-day wo shall have 

 a more quiet time while the committees are mak- 

 ing their examination. 



SEWIJJG MACHINES. 



The most prominent features in the hall of Tex- 

 tile Fabrics are the sewing machines. As you en- 

 ter, to the left is the collection of machines from 

 the well known Chicago house of the Grover & 

 Baker Machine Co. Those number five, showing 

 the various styles in which the machines are offer- 

 ed to the public. They are not machines got up 

 for the purpose of show, but as samples from their 

 sales room. The prices of their machines range 

 from $55 to $150. All machines, so far as dura- 

 bility and execurion, are made alike, the difference 

 in price depending on the style of finish. Thus, a 

 farmer who buys a 1^55 Grover & Baker, will have 

 just as valuable a machine, for all purposes of use, 

 as his more aristocratic neighbor who pays $150, 

 the extra cost being mainly made up of mahogeny, 

 silver plating and varnish. 



This company have also on exhibition the 

 most beautiful and varied assortment of samples 

 of machine work, embracing every variety of or- 

 namental, plain sewing and embroidery that we 

 have had the pleasure of examining. Among the 

 noticeable articles is a piano cover, made by a 

 young German girl who has had but a limited ex- 

 perience with this machine, and yet it is one of 

 the most elegant and tasteful articles of ornament 

 for that popular instrument that we have seen. — 

 Certainly no hand work can approach it. The 

 samples of plain and substantial work are also the 

 admiration of all visitors at the Fair. Who will 

 say that the sewing machine has not taken anoth- 

 er wrinkle from the brow of care, and brought ro- 

 ses to the cheeks and smiles on the faces of those 

 made only "a little lower than the angels." 



L. Cornell & Co., of Chicago, exhibited three of 

 Wilcox & Gibbs' machines. These machines run 

 remarkably still, and are becoming deservedly pop 

 ular. They are sold at $56 to $175, and the same 

 remarks in regard to style of manufacture as used 

 above apply to this also. 



The only other machine in the Hall is one of the 

 old Wheeler & Wilson, on which Messrs. Secor & 

 Butler, of Chicago, are exhibiting the "Secor im- 

 provement," a "loop check," which adds so mate- 

 rially to the value of that machine. We would 

 call the attention of all who have a Wheeler & 

 Wilson to this improvement, as it does away with 



that old annoyance the pad, and will run over 

 seems at high speed, and draw up the thread with- 

 out the necessity of stopping to increase the ten- 

 sion, or danger of breaking. 



Of Pinnos the display is not large, but the in- 

 struments are all of superior merit. Root & Cady, 

 of Chicago, exhibit one of the Wm. B. Bradbury 

 new scale piano, a most superb instrument. In 

 breadth and depth of tone it cannot be easily ex- 

 celled. The finish and style is that of a four round 

 with serpentine moulding and carved legs. The 

 laudations of this instrument th at have come to us 

 from the East, are fully sustained in the trial here. 



Mason & Hamlin's Cabinet Organ, an instrument 

 similar to the melodeon, but in many respects su- 

 perior, is attracting no small share of attention, 

 and to all those who are unable or unwilling to 

 purchase a piano, it presents itself favorably. Al- 

 most any farmer boy, though his fingers may be a 

 little stiff, can easily master this instrument and 

 make it it a source of enjoyment to himself and the 

 other members of the family. 



G. W. Chatterton, of Springfield, shows five pi- 

 anos ; one of Marshall & Trover's, the Parlor Gem, 

 and four from the well known house of Wm. 

 Knabe & Co., of Baltimore. They will combine in 

 an eminent degree all the qualities of a good pi- 

 ano. 



Chatterton has supplied a large number of homes 

 in Central Illinois with those superb instruments. 



' ARTIFICIAL LEG AND ARM. v^/ : ^^ ^^V; 



No article in the Hall more fully absorbs the at- 

 tention of a large class of visitors than the above. 

 The war has left its victims over our prairies, and 

 it is no wonder that their faiends are anxious to 

 mitigate, as far as possible, their unfortunate con- 

 dition. The friend of the one-armed and one-leg- 

 ged soldier has a right to be interested in these 

 vduable artificial limbs, so indispensable to an un- 

 fortunate soldier. 



Those on exhibition have been approved by the 

 United States Medical Department, and arrange- 

 ments made by which they are supplied to the de- 

 fender of his country without charge. The appli- 

 cation must be made to the nearest Medical Direc- 

 tor, who will give an order for them. They are 

 made by Wm. Selpho & Son, 516 Broadway, New 

 York, who are the inventors. 



Mr. T. J. Bradley, the general traveling agent 

 has them in charge. 



Mr. B. has had the misfortune to lose one of his 

 limbs above the knee, leaving him only a six-inch 

 stub, Jind yet few who see him walk would suspect 

 that he was Indebted to a wooden leg for the pow- 

 er of locomotion. So perfect is the substitute th^ 

 Mr. B. is enabled to do nearly the same work to 

 which a sound man is accnstemed. 



The limbs are eminently durable, elastic, light, 

 strong, and what is of no small importance, they 

 produce less painful friction than any that we have 

 seen.;; ■ .:, - z. >;.,:;;..':..,..., 



FANCT WOEKS, BTC. 



The specimens of shell work are not only numer- 

 ous but fine. The usual amount of quilts, crochet 

 wark, and the thousand and one little things that 

 the ladies know so well how to make for both use 

 and beauty, go to fill up the HalL 



CLOTHING. ■ ' 



The only exhibitor in this line is the firm of G. 

 T. Belding k Co., of Chicago. They have a large 



