320 
ELEVENTH ANNUAL SHOW AND FAIR OF THE NEW-YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
only sixteen inches at the bottom, and sixteen 
inches to the bilge, being the same width at the 
top of the tub. It should have a rack, or some¬ 
thing like a ladder, over the boiler to keep 
the hog from laying upon it, and should have 
a wooden roller put inside the tub, at the end 
where the boiler door is level with the top of 
th$ tub, to assist in getting out the hog, and 
have another ladder with rollers, to pull the 
hogs on, with a couple of hooks on one end to 
hold it to the tub. 
The wood used for fuel need not be more 
than two feet long. Corn cobs will do to heat 
the water with, though wood is the best. It can 
be heated in an hour or two, if the pipe draws 
well. A tub of this size will scald a hog that 
will weigh 700 pounds. It should have a lid 
to it, to make the water heat quick. Mine is 
made of cedar plank two inches thick, with two 
planks on each side, and three iron hoops, one 
on each end, to go all the way round the tub, 
and one in the middle to lap over the top of 
each plank. Peter E. Harvey. 
Columbus , N. J , 1851. 
- 
ELEVENTH ANNUAL SHOW AND FAIR 
OF THE 
3T. % State Agricultural Society. 
The eleventh Annual Fair of the New-York 
State Agricultural Society, was held in Roches¬ 
ter, on the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th days of 
September. The site was eligibly chosen on 
the left bank of the Genesee, within two miles 
of the centre of the city, and nearly opposite 
the picturesque and tastefully ornamented 
grounds occupied by the Mount-Hope Cemetery. 
There was, however, a serious drawback to 
their comfort, in the absence of ail shade, except 
such as was afforded by tents and temporary 
structures, devoted to the purposes of the society. 
If these natural awnings cannot be found at some 
convenient point, we insist for the suffering thou¬ 
sands that may hereafter congregate at these 
annual fairs, that temporary seats, with ample 
awnings, be-located in different parts of the 
grounds, that exhaustion shall not necessarily 
follow the effort to study the subjects of interest 
presented for investigation. Another, and much 
more intolerable nuisance existed, in the suffo¬ 
cating clouds of dust that enveloped for a mile 
and a half, the only approach to the show 
grounds. Why this gross neglect is permitted, 
both by the officers of a society that has receiv¬ 
ed such ample remuneration from the public, 
and by the citizens of the place, who promised 
all due provision for the comfort of members 
and spectators, we are at a loss to conceive. 
One thousand dollars would have been well be¬ 
stowed in saturating the ground ; and probably 
a fifth of this sum would have been ample for 
this purpose. We would make it a condition to 
the holding of any subsequent fair, that the 
approaches to and around the premises, should 
be free from the annoyance of dust, which, of 
course, is always to be expected at the season 
when these exhibitions occur. In other respects, 
the arrangements were entirely appropriate 
and liberal. An extensive enclosure, and con¬ 
venient tents and buildings, afforded ample ac¬ 
commodation for spectators, animals, and pro¬ 
ducts. The citizens of Rochester were kind 
and hospitable to the last degree. Without this 
generous hospitality on their part, many a 
weary stranger would have had to lodge in open 
barracks, instead of the well-furnished cham¬ 
bers so freely offered. 
We cannot, however, bring within this com¬ 
mendation, the ridiculous effort at display, got 
up by some ambitious, but weakly-minded cit¬ 
izens, under the head of a festival. What would 
any sober-minded, plain farmer deem an ap¬ 
propriate festival for the multitude who were 
wearied by a ten hours’ exposure to the broiling 
sun, in the suffocating dust we have alluded to, 
and among beeves, and horses, sheep and poul¬ 
try, implements and garden truck? Why, 
clearly, if anything were proffered beyond a 
comfortable supper, clean linen, and a quiet 
bed, it would be a general entertainment of 
plain but substantial fare, with good music 
and spirit-stirring speeches, such as the occa« 
sion would not fail to elicit from the numerous 
choice spirits that annually congregate there. 
In such an assemblage, the body might be re¬ 
freshed, while the senses were gratified and the 
mind improved by the feast of reason. But, 
what had we in the place of this common-sense 
entertainment? Why, a thing called a festival , 
but realty, an attempt at a fashionable ten dollar 
admission ball , where white kid gloves, dainty 
music, the most absurd and costly refreshments, 
and the primmest kind of ceremony and man¬ 
ners were the distinguishing characteristics. 
The starch was thickened and the gloom deep¬ 
ened, by some very formal and premeditated 
speeches, previously committed to paper, and 
perhaps, read by one leading functionary to 
another. The description of this lugubrious 
affair, by an eye witness—for we were much bet¬ 
ter employed in sleeping off the fatigues of the 
day—would have been sadly painful had they 
not been so uncontrollably ludicrous. 
