THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



383 



FOURTH ANNUAL EAHIBITION OF THE 

 VIRGINIA STATE AGRICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



All the world knows that the above fair was 

 held on the 28th day of last month and the three 

 following days. All the world knows also that 

 it succeeded ais well as any that preceded it. To 

 us who have known something of all of them it 

 was evidently, in all essentials, the best fair that 

 has yet been held, and gives, in its main fea- 

 tures, a guarantee of future success. Its " type," 

 to use the breeders term, has become " fixed." 



We observe in most of our Agricultural ex- 

 changes, a somewhat detailed notice of the arti- 

 cles and implements exhibited at the fairs which 

 they respectively describe. We cannot go into 

 such minutiae. If interesting, and altogether 

 proper, and of good personal policy, M^e have 

 never had time to make notes of such things. 

 It has been our practice, as a member of the 

 executive committee to report ourself to the Chief 

 Marshall each day as on duty, and we have 

 found our hands full. 



But certain things we could not help seeing, 

 and to see was to commend. For instance, Morri- 

 son's reaper, and Caldwell's reaper could hardly 

 escape attention or fall to command approval : 

 John Haw's woodpecker saw was not less con- 

 spicuous in merit. And as the inventions of 

 Virginians we were proud of them. 



Red Eye was on the ground, and had reason 

 to be proud of himself. He looked Virginian 

 every inch of him. So did the beautiful Revenue 

 — an inferior horse — ^begging the, committee's 

 pardon — to Red Eye, but still a Virginian. 



" The fat stock" were all Virginian, every 

 pound of them, and the fattest and finest we 

 ever saw. They out cloyed Cloyd. The South- 

 west beat herself this time, and the rest of the 

 world was no where. Does Augusta mean to 

 stay beat, and will the South Branch never show 

 her face ? 



The best sheep, we are sorry to say was not a 

 Virginian. But he was imported from England 

 direct by a Virginian, than whom there is not a 

 more public spirited gentleman in the States. 

 We allude to Mr. Dulany of Loudoun's South 

 down Buck — the finest sheep we dare affirm in 

 America, and probably the second or third best 

 in England, 



Neither wore the Silesians — a newly introdu- 

 ced race of fine wools, (said, and we think truly, 

 to combine the weight of the merino and the 



fineness of the Saxon, and therefore superior to 

 either) the product of Virginia. They were of 

 the importation cither directly, or by descent, of 

 Geo. Campbell of Vermont, whom we take to be 

 an honest sheep dealer. 



Nor were the hogs which we preferred, the 

 beautiful and genuine Berkshires of our own 

 State. For them also we have to thank our 

 friend Mr. Dulany of Loudoun. 



Of the horticultural products, it is proper to 

 say that all were good, almost tempting one to 

 eat them uncooked. If we were to select a sin- 

 gle vegetable we should say of Mr. Staples's 

 potatoes, — large as cannon balls, breaking down 

 when cooked like a well thawed clod, yiehling 

 three hundred and ninety two bushels per acre 

 from a June planting — as Coleridge's august 

 acquaintance said of the dumplings, " them's 

 the jockies for me." 



Of the needlework, &c., we can only say that 

 we think there is a good deal of time wasted by 

 women at large on the needle ; that in many 

 cases a needle is either an excuse for idleness or 

 a feminine stimulant, but little better than our 

 tobacco ; that therefore we never patronize such 

 articles, and would advise all sensible ladies to 

 buy a sewing machine, and some roses, a garden 

 hoe and a trowel — work at the sewing machine 

 one hour in lieu of ton at the needle, and then 

 derive health and amusement from the flower- 

 garden. 



After that at leisure times let them do tapes- 

 try work if they will, as an elegant accomplish- 

 ment, and rival, if they will not neglect health 

 and exercise in the contest, the Bayeux tapestry 

 of Matilda. The sewing machine for work, the 

 needle for recreation. 



Of the crowd we can only say as we said once 

 before, they looked, not dressed, like gentlemen 

 and ladies. 



The race track, as usual, was the centre of 

 attraction, and we have reason to complain of it. 

 Originally introduced because it " drew the 

 crowd," it has come to be too much used. It 

 " draws" committee men from their duty, and 

 is we think a chief difficulty in getting them as- 

 sembled. It distracts from the examination of 

 other animals, and from implements ; it gets up 

 excitements ; it encourages the passion — not a 

 very elevated one — for fast horses, and converts 

 the fair ground into a hippodrome. This is 

 surely not right, and not necessary to a success- 

 ful fair. The executive committee were Avilling 



