RENSSELAER-COUNTY PAIR. 
347 
stand three enormous pear trees, that never suf¬ 
fered from the pruning knife, nor from an overload 
of fruit. Upon the east side of this garden, a row 
of very tall quince trees effectually prevents the 
morning sun from sending his rays into this sacred 
enclosure to interfere with those plants that grow 
best in the shade. The other two sides are orna¬ 
mented with two thrifty rows of currant hushes, 
the rusty stalks of which hear evidence of long 
occupation of the same ground. The centre is 
filled up with pumpkin, squash, melon, cucumber, 
and gourd vines, so arranged as to promote mix¬ 
ture, and perhaps ensure some new and valueless 
variety, together with a fine show of pole beans, 
sunflowers, and well-dried pea brush. 
I like to have forgotten to mention that the old 
well, with its crotch, swape, pole, and old oaken 
bucket, forms a part of the line of fence in front of 
the door and about twenty feet from it, with a very 
nice place for the pigs outside, and ducks inside, to 
rusticate, or rather “ mudicate.” 
A very useful little building, about a house, 
stands a little back and near the garden gate, naked 
and unadorned, with its door standing wide open, 
and fronting the road—as much as to say, there is 
no privacy about this place. There is a little inter¬ 
esting spot, also, upon the back side of the house, 
where the little brook meanders away from the sink 
spout, down past the lye leach, through the goose 
pond, into the pig-weed patch behind the garden; but 
for fear of the cholera, I won’t go to look at that. 
If you please, reader, we will go out where the 
boys are plowing. That land, to my certain know¬ 
ledge, has been plowed for forty years, and never 
yet felt the share six inches below the surface, be¬ 
cause the owner feared to turn up the “ poor yal- 
ler dirt” and spoil the land. It is to be sown with 
rye this fall, and preparatory thereto, that fine crop 
of mullens is now being turned in. It cannot be 
manured, because there is only enough manure 
made upon the place to about half manure the few 
acres of corn, that must he planted each year. 
Do you ask why the owner does not purchase 
guano, to give this poor old field a start, and en¬ 
able him to raise a crop of straw and grass, so that 
he would be able afterwards to furnish its own 
manure % It is easily answered. He never heard 
of the article; and besides, if he had and should 
use it, that would subject him to the ridicule of the 
whole neighborhood. So he will sow three pecks 
of rye and gather nine, or, perchance, twelve pecks 
to the acre. 
Next year, after the rye is harvested, the hogs, 
geese, and sheep will be turned in to gather up 
every scattered grain and nip off every shoot and 
green weed, and the spring after, it will be plowed 
once, just as deep as at present, and planted w T ith 
corn, with about half a shovelful of dirt, dignified 
with the name of manure, to each hill. After the 
corn is gathered, the field will be again pastured, 
and the spring following, it will be sown in oats, 
and the crop will he such a one as any reasonable 
man might expect from just such a course. 
The next season, the field will lie fallow, as it 
has this year, and will produce a similar crop of 
Kullens, and five-finger vines. 
'Ihat “ pastur,” just over the fence, was once cul- 
\ 'iyated in just the same manner as the above. It is 
resting now. See what a luxuriant crop of white 
birches. They are very ornamental to the land¬ 
scape. It is true, the grass is not quite so plenty 
and sweet, but then you see the shade is perfect. 
That is a very nice little brook that meanders 
through the pasture, and always affords water, be¬ 
cause it is fed by springs, and that “ swale” would 
give a valuable crop of grass if it were ditched : but 
as it is not, it affords a most luxuriant growth of 
alders, and these serve as a nice shade for the trout. 
It would be a pity to disturb them. 
Here is a stone wall. It stands in the place 
of a fence. Be a little careful about climbing it, as 
it was built upon a new principle. Having been 
told that rails would make good ties, or binders, in a 
cobble-stone wall, the builder put them in length¬ 
wise instead of going into the wasteful practice of 
cutting them up and putting them across, and the 
consequence is that an occasional broadside caves 
away. 
Ah! what have we in this field % ’Pon my word 
it is buckwheat. Let us put on our spectacles and 
take a good look at it. It is very small, certainly, 
but is as good as could be expected from such a 
specimen of “ Yankee Farming !!” 
In the next number of the Agriculturist, I will 
give a reverse of the picture. 
New York , Oct. 2d , 1849. Solon Robinson. 
RENSSELAER-COUNTY FAIR. 
We had the pleasure of witnessing the annual 
fair held at Troy on the 26th of September. It 
was thronged by the enterprising population of that 
wealthy county, including large numbers of the 
fairer portions of the community, whose interest 
seemed to vie with that of the sterner sex, in the 
admiration justly excited by the occasion. Indeed, 
if the fruits and flowers, as well as the domestic 
fabrics, be credited to them, as no doubt they prin¬ 
cipally should be, they contributed their full share 
to the interest excited for the show. The exhibi¬ 
tion in each of these departments was excellent, 
and reflects great credit on the taste and attainments 
of the county. The vegetable products were also 
varied and numerous, and many of them, superb 
specimens of the gardens and fields. 
The Implements and Various Manufactures ex¬ 
hibited were such, as to have been expected from 
a community that embraces so much intelligence 
and perfection in their manufactories of almost 
every description. 
The Show of Cattle was not extensive, but in¬ 
cluded some of Mr. Vail’s choice shorthorns, and 
one superb cow of the same class, bred by L. F. 
Allen, and now owned by Mr. A. Stevens. 
The Sheep and Swine were few, and not at all 
equal to what should have been exhibited among 
the numerous good animals to be found there, al¬ 
though some very fine specimens of each were on 
the ground. 
The Horses were by far the most creditable part 
of the show, as far as numbers were concerned; 
and many of the animals could hardly be exceeded 
in their capacity and adaptation to the farm and 
road. Among these were the horse Alexander, 
Young Mambrino, and the numerous colts from 
Morse’s Grey. Mr. J. T. Grant, the owner of 
this valuable animal, exhibited several of his colts 
