AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
73 
LABORS APPRECIATED. 
A correspondent informs us that, two 
years ago, he invested five dollars inagricul- 
turalpapers, and that a series ofarticlesinthe 
American Agriculturist reduced to practice, 
have been of actual profit, sufficient to pay 
a like sum for many years to come.” The 
series alluded to, were the five on cabbage in 
the last volume. 
By following out the suggestions there 
made, he has grown a fine crop of cabbages, 
and realized a much larger return than from 
any ordinary farm crop. Yet multitudes of 
farmers still take no agricultural paper, and 
think they can’t afford it. Their wiser neigh¬ 
bors invest their capital in the best half dozen 
agricultural papers they can find, raise the 
crops, and pocket the money. Which is the 
better economy? 
GREAT NEW-ENGLAND HORSE SHOW. 
This will take place at Brattleboro’, Vt., 
on the 17th, 18th, and 19th days of this 
month. The premiums range from $20 to 
$300, amounting, in all, to $2,500. The 
grounds to be used are the same as those 
used by the Vermont State Fair. They are 
well adapted to the purpose. We hope they 
Avill have a profitable time. The following 
named gentlemen constitute the board of 
officers. 
President —Hon. Lemuel Hurlburt, Win¬ 
chester, Ct. 
Vice-President —Sanford Howard, Boston, 
Mass.; Benjamin Thurston, Lowell, Mass.; 
Silas Hale, South Royalston, Mass.; L. M. 
Hale, N. H.; J. S.Walker, Claremont, N.H.; 
Robbins Battel, New-Haven, Conn.; Gen. 
E. B. Chase, Lyndon, Vt.; David Hill, Brid- 
port, Vt.; M. Carter Hall, Bennington, Vt.; 
Dr. Marshall, B. Mead, Providence, R. I.; 
Dr. E. Holmes, Aucusta, Me. 
Corresponding Secretary —William S. King, 
Boston, Mass. 
Recording Secretary —Evelyn Pierpoint, 
Rutland, Vt. 
Treasurer —Calvin Townsley, Brattleboro’ 
Vt. 
Committee of Invitation —Solomon W. 
Jewett, Middlebury, Vt. 
Executive Committee —B. B. Newton, St. 
Albans, Vt. G. M. Atwater, Springfield, 
Mass. Lyman P. White, Whiting, Vt. 
THE FAIR AT COLLINS, CATARATJGUS COUNTY, 
NEW-YORK. 
BY MINNIE MYRTLE. 
How I came out into this far country will 
not interest you particularly, but perhaps 
some of the things I see here and there may 
be worth recording, though they are not 
among things wonderful or renowned. 
I heard there was to be a Fair some ten 
miles distant, and I thought, for your benefit, 
Messrs. Editors, I would take a peep at a coun¬ 
try fair. I happen to be domiciled among the 
Seneca Indians just now ; and I was there¬ 
fore escorted by one of the genuine sons of 
this noble race, whose physiognomy suffi¬ 
ciently indicated his origin, and whose moc¬ 
casins were proof positive that he made no 
attempts to conceal it. 
Our way was for several miles through the 
forest, where the tall pines which the fire 
had scathed and blackened were frowning 
upon us on every side ; and here and there 
we had a glimpse of a clearing, or heard the 
woodman’s ax with its long echo—the pre¬ 
monitory sounds that the plowman and the 
reaper are soon to come. 
It is one of the brightest of autumnal days, 
and the roads in every direction are thronged 
with farmers’ wagons loaded with fruits, 
vegetables, and women and children, on their 
way to the scene of festivity; for thus it 
proved to be—an exhibition of fair ones come 
out for a day of rural sport on the green, 
rather thdn an exhibition of the homely 
fruits of the soil. 
Our eyes were first saluted by long rows 
of tables covered with snowy linen, and fur¬ 
nished with such good things as notable 
housewives have always in store for the 
gratification of those who wish to “ eat, 
drink, and be merry.” It is a long time 
since I have seen any genuine juice of the 
apple, but here it was—not red like the juice 
of the grape, but yellow, and not less rich 
than in the days of yore, when I sipped it 
from the barrel, or the groove in which it 
flowed lazily from the press, with a straw, 
and smacked my lips as city people do now 
when they sip sherry cobblers in the same 
way. I did not taste the cider to-day ; but 
I confess—just to you, Mr. Editor—my 
mouth did water a little ; and I was obliged 
to obey the command of Solomon, who spoke 
from experience, and not look upon it, lest I 
should be tempted to do what would be con¬ 
sidered quite ungenteel, if not sinful. 
I hurried along and looked at the corn, 
which was quite as yellow; and recalled 
associations not less delightful, when I went 
into the meadow with the harvesters, and 
sat on a yellow pumpkin to pull off the 
husks, and thought I was a great helpmeet, 
when very likely I was only a hinder-meet, 
There were baskets of potatoes that would 
be no discredit to California, and I saw spe¬ 
cimens of the egg-plant which excelled all I 
have ever seen of this vegetable before. 
There were squashes and pumpkins of no 
mean capacity, and apples almost as large, 
various species of plums, and cart-loads of 
melons, all betraying that the farmers in this 
region are proud of their calling, and be¬ 
lieve in progression. 
Of the plows and winnowing mills, I 
was no judge; but the rich roan-colored 
Short-horns and red Devon cattle I could 
more fully appreciate; and the chickens 
strutted and crowed equal to any I heard at 
your famous Poultry Show last Winter. 
At dinner I tasted of all the good things I 
could obtain, in order to know if the Avives 
and daughters Avere progressing also, and 
could pronounce most of them very good. 
There Avere cheeses exhibited so large 
that I should not like to risk my reputation 
in guessing their circumference; but that 
Avhich was cut in generous slices for the 
table Avas very far from good. It had the 
fault Avhich is so common to the cheese of 
thrifty housewives—of having runnet enough 
in one for half a dozen. This is owing to 
their great haste in running up the curd; 
they are so anxious to get it into the press 
early, that they use a great quantity of run- 
net, rather than Avait for a small quantity to 
perform the office, which it would effectually 
do in the course of time, and make a much 
better cheese. Now some experienced dai¬ 
ryman will Avonder how I came to be so 
wise ; but I shall only say that I have done 
such a thing as to run up a curd, and I have 
seen them run up a thousand times by a 
woman who never failed in having excellent 
cheese. 
But my greatest amusement here Avas in 
watching the people, some tAvo thousand of 
Avhom had gathered together, and occupied 
a grove and orchard of many acres in extent, 
grouped under every tree, old men and mat¬ 
rons, young men and maidens, in their holi¬ 
day-dresses, chattering and laughing, exem¬ 
plifying rural felicity in all its perfection. I 
did not see upon the ground anything 
stronger than cider, and heard no sound of 
vulgar revelry or evidence of anything but 
healthy exhilaration and rational sport. 
The Seneca National Band favored us 
Avith soul-stirring music, and they in their 
gala-day red and Avhite costume, with the 
young maidens of their people, much more 
becomingly and tastefully dressed than our 
fair-haired damsels, added not a little to the 
pleasing and picturesque effect of the scene. 
Fairs have become the grand holidays of 
the rural districts, and when conducted like 
this, must prove a pleasant recreation to 
the sons and daughters of toil—affording 
them a good opportunity of talking over 
their crops, and comparing products stimu¬ 
lating a healthful competition and promoting 
industry. I was pleased with my day’s obser¬ 
vations ; but, after several inquiries, I learned 
that the Agriculturist has too few readers in 
these parts ; and probably many will not know 
my approbation. I recommended it very 
cordially, believing as I do that it is the best 
Agricultural paper in the country ; and very 
sure I am, if it could become the weekly 
visitor in every family, Avhether farmers or 
not, there would speedily be a great im¬ 
provement in the appearance of our fair 
land; and as it is as valuable to the house¬ 
keeper as the cultivator of the soil, most 
heartily do I recommend it, for our kitchens 
and dairies do not keep pace, I fear, with 
our orchards and gardens. “ Knowledge is 
power;” and Avhen farmers and their wives 
are universally convinced of this, our rural 
population will become appreciated as they 
deserve, and occupy the position and exert 
the influence they should, and which they 
can exert in no other way. 
Hoav Much we Eat in Neaa^-York. —Dur¬ 
ing the three months ending the 1st inst., 
two hundred and nineteen thousand six hun¬ 
dred and thirteen animals were slaughtered 
for food in this City. During the nine months 
of the year, the total number of animals of¬ 
fered up on the altar of appetite, reached 
700,714, or, at the rate of 7,966 per Aveek, or 
nearly one million per year ! The popula¬ 
tion is nearly six hundred thousand—that is 
an average of about one and three-fourths of 
an animal to each inhabitant, beside the 
millions of chickens, ducks, turkeys, fish, 
and other et ceteras too tedious to enumer¬ 
ate ! 
