374 
OHIO STATE CATTLE SHOW. 
OHIO STATE CATTLE SHOW. 
This first effort of the State Board of Agricul- 
ture in getting up a Fair and Cattle Show, was 
held at Cincinnati on the 2d, 3d, and 4th of Oc- 
tober. The show grounds comprised about 
thirteen acres, between the Miami Canal and 
Mill-Creek Road, three miles southwest of 
the city. The attendance was large, numbering 
several thousand people, from Ohio, Indiana, and 
Kentucky, with delegations from the New-York 
State and other Agricultural Societies. The re- 
ceipts, upwards of $6,000 — are larger than has 
been received by any stale society heretofore 
held at its first exhibition. 
The show grounds were, under the circum- 
stances, well arranged ; and with the aid of Mr. 
T. C. Peters, of Buffalo, who assisted in planning 
the erections, and Mr. Joseph Alley n, the efficient 
and experienced assistant of the secretary of 
the New-York State Agricultural Society, at its 
annual exhibition, who arranged and took 
charge of the books of entries, premium lists, 
and detail of the business office, all under the 
general direction of the Ohio State Board, with 
Mr. Michael L. Sullivant at the head, Morton 
Watts, Mr. Gest, and sundry other gentleman, 
the whole affair went off in capital style ; and 
much to the satifaction of the parties interested, 
and the public at large. 
The weather was pleasant, but dry, and an- 
noyance from dust was the consequence; but 
the excellent plan adopted by the board of ag- 
riculture in sprinkling the highway for a mile 
and a half of the distance from the ground, 
proved a grateful relief to the visitors. Would 
that the city authorities could have had the 
spirit and liberality, to have done their part of 
this important duty. Had they done so, every 
one who suffered from the suffocating dust of 
that thronged Macadam road, would have bless- 
ed them. Outside the usual concomitants of 
such gatherings, were the elephant, the giraffe, 
the three-tailed monkey, eating houses, thim- 
ble-riggers, and groggeries in abundant prox- 
imity. The last two, disgraceful in the ex- 
treme, and should have been broken up and 
dispersed by the city authorities. At our own 
state show at Albany, this year, the same thing 
was permitted, to the shame and disgrace of the 
city authorities. 
At the entrance gates, and within, good order 
and arrangement were observable; and although 
new at the work, the state board of managers 
showed a commendable spirit of energy, and of 
purpose in carrying out their plans. Judged by 
one of our state cattle shows, this, as might 
have been expected, fell far behind in general 
effect; but with time and experience, Ohio, will, 
beyond question, fully sustain her already 
achieved agricultui'al reputation, and go on in 
a prosperous career of improvement. 
Entering the gates, first appeared the cattle 
ranges, which extended over near one third of 
the inclosure. They were occupied chiefly by 
shorthorns, the favorite stock of the Ohio breeders 
and graziers. The descendants of the far-famed 
Ohio Company, and other importations of 1834, 
5,6,7, 8, and 9, were there, well representing 
their ancient blood and quality in their several 
classes. A few fine fat oxen and steers were 
exhibited, though nothing like the numbers that 
might have been expected from such a broad 
grazing state. They were, however, as a class, 
very good. A few pairs only of working ox, 
en were on the ground — this not being a burden 
to which the Ohio ox is designed — beef being 
his chief destiny. It was unfortunate that a 
great cattle show was held at the same time in 
Lexington, Kentucky, as many fine animals 
were expected from that quarter to attend this 
exhibition. The principal exhibitors in cattle 
were Messrs. Sullivant, Watts, Vose, and the 
Renicks, of the Scioto Valley, and the Prices 
from Clark county, Mr. Cloone, of Cincinnati, and 
a few others. Lewis F. Allen, from Black 
Rock, New York, showed two or three short- 
horn bulls and calves, which were purchased 
by Mr. Cloone and other breeders, and a fine 
young Devon bull brought by John H. James, 
of Auburn; and L. S. Collins, of Dutchess coun- 
ty, N, Y., showed a select herd of Devon cows 
and calves : some of which were disposed of. 
Some choice Devons were also shown by Mr. 
Buckingham, of Muskingum county, from the 
herd of Mr. George Patterson, of Maryland. Here- 
fords there were none; Ayshires, but a single 
cow ; and generally but a few only, in compar- 
ison with the vast number that are bred in that 
great cattle-growing state. 
The show of horses was but moderate in 
number, although some fine animals of their 
several classes were on the ground in the get 
of blood, draught and all-work horses ; but a 
single pair of mules, and a solitary Jack, be- 
longing to the president, Mr. Sullivant, were 
shown; and had this part of the exhibition been 
taken as a sample of the product of Ohio in that 
department of stock, the state would have shown 
but a beggarly amount of what it really pos- 
sesses in that valuable line of stock rearing. 
The sheep were good — what there were of 
them ; and the chief of these were foreigners. 
The Messrs. Binghams of Vermont, Collins of 
New York, and another from Indiana showed 
mostly in Merinos and Leicesters; while the 
Southdowns of Mr. Longworth and others, and a 
Leicester ewe, with a few Merinos and Saxons 
filled the remaining pens — ail good in quality. 
In shepherd dogs, the competition was the 
greatest I ever witnessed — there being no less 
than seven on the ground. Although no doubt 
excellent dogs at home, but as exhibited in the 
horse ring, chasing and worrying half a doz- 
en frightened, long-tailed, slaughter-house sheep, 
amid a thousand noisy, rackety boys and 
idlers, the poor dogs showed but indifferent play 
on trial. They were chiefly Colley's, excepting 
a pair of St. Bernards crossed with the Span- 
ish sheep ddg, of large size, one of which won 
the premium. 
In Swine, it might have been expected, that, 
in the neighborhood of a city which slaughters 
250,000 porkers annually, and on a ground 
not beyond reach of the savory odors of their 
place of sacrifice, would have produced a rare 
and numerous rivalry. But only a few were on 
