330 
NINETEENTH ANNUAL SHOW AND FAIR OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
This Society held their first meeting for the season 
at the Historical Society’s Rooms, at the New York 
University, on the 7th of last month. The session 
was chiefly occupied in framing a code of by-laws 
under their late act of incorporation, which were 
adopted and ordered to be embodied with the list of 
members in the first number of the Transactions of 
the Association shortly to be published. The next 
meeting will be held at the usual place, on Wed¬ 
nesday, the 4th inst., at 7 o’clock in the evening. 
NINETEENTH ANNUAL SHOW AND FAIR 
OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 
This commenced on the 5th of last month, and 
continued till the 23d. A few weeks preceding, 
all the buildings at Niblo’s Garden, where the show 
is usually held, took fire and burned to the ground. 
This at first seemed a heavy calamity to the Insti¬ 
tute, as it was supposed they would be unable to 
find accommodation in the city for their show. 
But fortunately for the Society, they at length se¬ 
cured Castle Garden, on the Battery, which proves 
far superior to all places, in its accommodations, 
heretofore occupied for their fairs. Indeed, if the 
building had been erected expressly for the purpose, 
it could not have been better suited. The bridge, 
230 feet in length, leading from the Battery to the 
Castle, was roofed over, and devoted to agricultu¬ 
ral implements, carriages, heavy machinery, &c. 
The Castle is about 200 ft. in diameter. The area 
was occupied with woollen and cotton fabrics, 
leather fabrics, cutlery, glass and earthenware, 
jewelry, and other fancy articles; the steam en¬ 
gine, and some heavy machinery operated by it, 
were arranged on the outward circle; while the 
galleries all around were adorned with paintings, 
Daguerreotypes, fancy work, and the horticultural 
display of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. The 
coup d’ccil was magnificent, and the whole arrange¬ 
ment gave great satisfaction. The number of visi¬ 
tors instead of being less, as was apprehended in 
consequence of holding the fair at this extreme end 
of the city, proved much greater than ever. Not 
less than 200,000 are supposed to have been ad¬ 
mitted during the exhibition. 
As we are bound every year to record the show 
of the Institute, we mention such things only as 
are particularly new to us in an agricultural point 
of view. In the way of plows we find nothing 
more to notice, than the recently invented dial 
clevis of Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, which enables 
the plowman to gauge his implement to a quarter of 
an inch, if he wishes to be so exact, and adjust the 
plow also to run close alongside of a fence, or 
ditch, or keep the off horse on the hard surface 
when plowing wet lands, instead of being obliged 
to walk in the open, miry furrow, so very hard and 
wearisome to him. Their self-sharpening plow 
also, with the application of the centre draft, is a 
great improvement. The points in these are of 
cast steel, and wear and keep sharp for years. A 
curious plow for cutting up the roots of newly 
cleared land, we think very highly of.' It will 
easily cut off roots three inches' in diameter, as it 
moves through the ground. A new hand corn- 
mill, far superior to Swift’s late invention, was ex¬ 
hibited. Mr. Fitzgerald has made some improve¬ 
ments in his burr-mill. We also noticed several 
other good implements, among which we mention 
Gaylord’s concave and convex hay and straw-cut¬ 
ter ; B. Langdon’s corn-stalk, hay and straw cut¬ 
ter; Jones & Smith’s seed and plaster-sower; E. 
Luken’s washing machine, efficient and easily 
worked. In the way of harnesses we noticed a new 
horse-collar, which, instead of being separate, con¬ 
sisted of only one piece. This is particularly 
well calculated for Southern use, among careless 
negroes. It is rarely out of repair, and the hame- 
string never gets lost, for, in this collar, there is 
none to lose. 
The horticultural exhibition was not quite so 
good as usual. Several fine specimens of dew and 
water-rotted hemp, from Hon. Henry Clay and 
others; splendid ears of corn, of various kinds, 
some on stalks 15 feet high; large beets; mam¬ 
moth pumpkins from A. Miller, Newburgh, A. 
Silkworth, Staten Island, and others ; bell-neck 
pumpkins from J. B. Colyer, L. Island, and Pel¬ 
ham farm; magnificent golden crook-neck squash, 
from R. L. Pell; four immense striped squashes, 
from Mr. Beekman, also, large yellow, sweet po¬ 
tatoes, &c, &c. 
The plowing and spading matches came off on 
the 9th of October, at Flushing, and were similar 
in their character to those the Institute has got up, 
with one exception, for the last eighteen years. 
W e consider them a complete farce, and unattended 
with the slightest improvement whatever. Nor do 
they establish a single important principle. 
The cattle show came off on the 14th and 15th of 
October, and on the whole was a prime one. There 
were a large number of first rate working cattle ex¬ 
hibited, principally from Connecticut; some good 
Durhams; a beautiful display of Devons, by Mr. 
Colt, of Patterson, and choice Ayshires and Alder- 
neys. Mr. Bathgate showed a very fine cow, and 
a great milker, a cross between the Durham and 
Ayrshire. The genuine natives were fewer than 
ever, being rather shy to stand up alongside of the 
; improved breeds. One most superb fat ox was 
exhibited. He was bred by Mr. LeRoy, of Living¬ 
ston County, and fed and shown by Mr. Olyphant. 
He is a cross of the Dutch and Durham. He 
s weighs a trifle over 2,700 lbs. He carried a su- 
t perb brisket, and in other points was quite superior. 
; The match horses were superb, and in considerable 
i force. As for sheep, the show was rather slim. 
5 A curious-looking animal was on the ground, a 
f cross between the Merino and long-wool. His 
; fleece was 5 or 6 years old, and along the sides 
: measured 22 inches in length. It was most extra- 
s ordinary. The swine were a good show. One fa- 
l mous porker present weighed 1,080 lbs., and some 
l of his progeny there bid fair to rival him in dimen- 
t siops. If any one wants big hogs, now let them 
i speak. They can have choice pigs for $25 to $30 
f per pair, 
l Lectures, speeches, music, fire-works, and other 
t entertainments followed each other in regular suc- 
1 cession, nearly every evening during the fair,, 
t and on the whole the thing passed off with. 
- increased iclat. 
