To County Fair Managers. 
One of the most live, crisp and racy pa¬ 
pers from the south, the Spirit of the Age, 
published at Raleigh, N. C., takes the man¬ 
agers of their county fair severely to task 
because of the marked partiality shown in 
proffering premiums to exhibitors at said 
fairs. It says, and truly, that these fairs 
profess to be friends of all classes of busi¬ 
ness pursuits followed by the people of the 
state, and to encourage these different pur¬ 
suits without exception these premiums 
are offered for the best specimens presented 
at these annual exhibitions. And yet, 
right in the face of all this, the Spirit of 
the Age charges upon the managers the 
entire omission of one business that “stands 
higher, is more popular, has more safe¬ 
guards thrown around it by law, an d is 
more potent in politics than any other of 
which the state boasts, and yet upon which 
aio premium, not even a diploma, is offer¬ 
ed.” Of course this business is the rum 
traffic—the business of the grog seller. It 
denounces this omission as outrageous and 
then suggests the following partial and yet 
very pertinent list of premiums to be offered 
hereafter. We commend this list to our 
county fair managers everywhere for their 
careful study and future guidance as we 
know they have in this respect been as 
derelict as our friends of the “Piney 
Woods” state. Here is the list: 
To the grog seller who sells the most whis¬ 
key and makes the most homes miserable. .$100 00 
To the grog seller who ruins the most young 
men. 75 00 
To the grog seller who can most successfully 
evade the law and keep open on Sun¬ 
day. Gold Medal 
To the grog seller who can hinder the most 
men from work. 25 00 
To the grog seller who can sell the most 
•drinks out of a quart of whiskey adulter¬ 
ated . 10 00 
We hope hereafter this enormous busi¬ 
ness which employs so many persons, con¬ 
sumes so much capital, and which is pros¬ 
ecuted solely for the public good(?) and pro¬ 
tected by law will show a record of its 
doings by presenting samples of its work 
for the inspection of the public. We would 
be willing to guarantee a premium of $500 
immediately after said exhibition to the 
temperance cause exclusive of the gold 
medal and an equal amount to the ex¬ 
hibitor or rumseller who will present one 
specimen each of the worst ruined homes, 
the most debauched man, the most broken 
hearted woman, the worst orphaned child, 
or whiskey-inspired murderer. And to" 
help them at once in this line so as they can 
appear at our approaceing fairs this fall we 
will allow them to present specimens now 
on hand (of w’hich they have many) instead 
of waiting to manufacture new ones.— 
Critic, in Temperance Gazette. 
—Are you going to try for that $200 prize? 
The Early Cluster Blackberry. 
Our frontispiece this month represents, 
in a striking manner, a cluster of a new 
Blackberry called the EJgrly Cluster, now 
being disseminated by Mr. John S. Collins, 
of Moorestown, N. J. That the cut is a 
true representation of the berry we have 
the word of the Engraver, Mr. Blanc, who 
says: “I made this cut for Mr. j. S. Col¬ 
lins, size of berries true to nature, from 
those he brought to me. Some of the ber¬ 
ries were used for dinner, and we all pro¬ 
nounced them the best blackberries we 
ever tasted.”—The introducer claims for it 
earliness, productiveness, and excellent 
quality. Thirteen quarts have been picked 
from one hill of the Early Cluster. The 
advertisement of Mr. Collins frequently 
appears in this magazine, and those who 
desire to know more about this remarkable 
berry are recommended to write to Him for 
a Catalogue, not forgetting to mention 
Seed-Time and Harvest. 
--— 
—All competitors are sure of good pay and a 
small club may take a good cash prize. See second 
cover page. 
“Why, pa,” said little Tooser to Senior 
Alley, the other day, “here comes Mr. 
Jones into the house, and it has only just 
begun to sprinkle. Isn’t it funny ?” “Why 
so ?” asked Mr. Jones, who had overheard. 
“Why,” said Tooser, looking up with a 
rapt countenance, “papa said yesterday 
that you didn’t know enough to come in 
when it rained. Pa got left, didn’t he?” 
Look at Reed’s advertisement of Concord Grapes 
on page 25. Every reader of Seed-Time and Harvest 
should send a trial order for a dozen. You are sure 
to be pleased. Satisfaction guaranteed. 
