306 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



large hotel since the last fair, and the prospect that 

 another will he readj'-, and the experience of Eich- 

 mond, in last year's influx, will insure ample room 

 and accommodations, considering the squeeze, for all 

 comers. Will the people of the country do their 

 part 1 The State Society is now a fixed institution ; 

 counting the fifty-six thousand dollars which Rich- 

 mond has alreadj^ contributed, (see an article from 

 one of our friends in this number of the Planter,) 

 and about fifty thousand dollars in cash or good 

 debts to the Society, it will be seen that it is a cor- 

 poration with a capital of one hundred thousand 

 dollars, nearly half in fixtures, and more than half 

 in cash. What shall be done to render this capital 

 available for useful purposes, is a question which 

 concerns, more or less, nearly every farmer in the 

 State. We cannot believe that the intelligent por- 

 tion of them will take a different view, and we, 

 therefore, confidently expect to see them assemble 

 on the 31st of October next in greater strength 

 than on the 1st of November last. 



THE AGRICULTURAL FAIRS OF VIRGINIA. 



These institutions have multiplied so rapidly that 

 it is a difficult matter to keep up with them, and 

 to herald their opening, or chronicle their events is 

 alike impossible in the limits to which we are con- 

 fined in the Planter. Several have already been 

 held. That at Abingdon, the land of stalwart men 

 and stately cattle, and seemly horses, the land of 

 fatness, flowing with milk too good to need any 

 admixture of honey, is just over; that at Lewis- 

 burg, famed for its pastures, was held a month ago, 

 and as a first effort in a thinly settled country at a 

 small town, passed off well; that at Wheeling, of 

 still earlier date, succeeded as was to be expected 

 from the experience thej^ have had in the last three 

 years. Charlestown is getting ready for her usual 

 exhibition of the fine products of the rich region 

 which converges to her; and her neighbor, Lees- 

 burg, proud of old Loudoun's abundance, will not 

 be far behind either in time or credit. 



Coming down to tide, we find that ancient Fre- 

 dericksburg is smoothing her wrinkles to greet the 

 farmers of the fertile and beautiful valley of the 

 Rappahannock at her festival, and getting ready 

 like an aged but genial matron, to dispense to them 

 her old fashioned and true hearted hospitality, 

 whilst Norfolk, that " fairy city of the heart," which 

 should be queen of the Ches-a-pe-a-ke — why not 

 spell and pronounce the beautiful word as the In- 

 dians did ? — is preparing to open her doors and her 

 arms and her heart and her oysters to all who shall 

 visit her ; and Petersburg, the cockade of Virginia, 

 is straining every nerve and spending every dollar 

 that public spirit and liberality and emulation can 

 command to bear herself as high as the highest. 



We doubt not all of them will do well, and need 

 no word of encouragement from the Planter to en- 

 list in each section a hearty cooperation from the 

 farmers and a full attendance at the feasts to which 

 they have such cordial bidding. 



ENTRIES FOR THE STATE FAIR. 



We again call the attention of exhibiters to the 

 importance of making their entries early. They 

 may be well assured that it will save all parties a 

 deal of trouble. A good many entries have been 

 made already, but nothing like half of Avhat we 

 hope to have. Exhibiters will also please remem- 

 ber, that the mere naming an animal or implement 

 is not sufficient. Unless we know, in the case of a 

 horse, for instance, what is his or her age and color, 

 and whether entered in the class of thoroughbred, 

 quick draught or saddle horses, or heavy draught 

 horses, we might as well have no entry at all, since, 

 so far from guiding us, the Marshal or the Judges, 

 it will only perplex or confuse. The same is true 

 of cattle, whose kind, sex, age and color, should 

 be minutely stated. 



PLAN OF THE FAIR GROUNDS OF TPIE VIR- 

 GINIA STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Along with this number of the Planter we send 

 to each subscriber a plan of the Fair Grounds of 

 the Agricultural Society at Richrtiond. We cannot 

 give a better idea of the grounds than by this plan, 

 which will be a great assistance to each visitor who 

 may have one in directing him to different depart- 

 ments of the exhibition. 



Many, if not all, of the plats here apparently va- 

 cant will be filled up with machinery and various 

 articles of exhibition. They are not appropriated 

 on the plan, because until it was known what they 

 would be, it could not be decided where they should 

 be placed. But it is evident at a glance that there 

 will be room for every thing. 



The beautiful oval, or more properly elliptical, 

 horse track will be observed as a new and attractive 

 feature in the exhibition this year; and there, we 

 predict, will be the great attraction of the Fair ; for 

 there will be exhibited all the horses and all the 

 horsemanship and all the driving. By-the-by, we 

 have a special interest in the matter of saddle 

 horses, and hope to see that department well repre- 

 sented, for we claim to have simply the finest sad- 

 dle, horse in Virginia, and that is saying a good 

 deal. But we are in dead earnest, and challenge 

 the field. On that track, too, will be exhibited (or 

 should be) all the cattle, that the judges may havf_ 

 a good view of them; and, lastly, at that point the 

 ladies, always admirers of beautiful animals, whe- 

 ther cattle or horses, and of " noble horsemanship," 



