AGRICULTURE 
annually to exhibit them. Together, then, we will 
look the Fair over through Western eyes. 
[since writing the above, the Conductor of the 
Rural has asked nie to '‘do” the Fair for him, his 
time being occupied with official duties and hospita¬ 
ble effort. What I may do, will not be done with 
the design of giving a complete and detailed review 
of tho different departments, but simply to notice 
noteworthy articles, and gather such facts as may 
be of value to the reader.] 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
TOT? T.KAD1KG AMERICAS WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOOBE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
CHAS. D. BBAGDON, Western Correapondina Editor. 
The Rural New-Yorker is designed to be unmn-paseed in 
Value, Purity, Usefulness Rnd Variety of Contents, and unique 
and beautiful In Appearance. Its Conductor devotes bis per¬ 
sonal attention to the supervision of its various departments, 
ami xaniestly lahorstn render the Rural an eminently Reliable 
Guide ou all the important Practical, Scientific and other 
Subjects intimately connected with the liURiuess of t hose whose 
intercut* It zealously advocates As a Family Journal it ie 
eminently Instructive and Entertaininjf— being so conducted 
that It can be safely taken to the Hearts ami Homes of people 
of intelliRCnue, taste and discrimination. It embraces mnre 
Agricultural. Horticultural. Scientific, educational Literary 
and News Matter. Interspersed with appropriate and beautiful 
Engravings, than auy other journal,—rendering it the most 
complete Agricultural. Literary akp Family Newspaper 
in America. 
THE NEW YORK STATE FAIR. 
The reader is aware that Rochester has long been 
preparing to receive the Society, and to welcome 
hither the thousands of Ruralists who live and labor 
on the hillsides and in. the valleys of this goodly 
Empire State. 
Herewith is given an engraving of the grounds 
which renders further description unnecessary. The 
locution is convenient to the city, and accessible by 
railroad and carriages. 
Monday, the 29th ultimo, the work of making and 
recording entries was prosecuted with a good deal 
of vigor. The clouds cast foreboding shadows, and 
diminished the number of entries considerably.— 
But the record at night-fall showed an advance in 
most if not all the departments. 
JikM 
jbgjjl 
V3T For Terms and other particulars, see last page. 
TUESDAY~ 
Dawned cloudy, and cold, and sombre enough. 
Overcoats were needed, used, and buttoned close at 
that. The books were kept open, and entries re¬ 
ceived during the day. The list of entries was 
largely increased. Stock, Machinery and other 
articles for exhibition continued to arrive until late 
in the afternoon. The day had been cold, drizzly 
and cherries*. The work of preparation, and the 
arrangement, of articles left, little time for repining. 
The work went on as if the sun shone bright. The 
wind continued North-east; but, per contra , some 
enthusiastic barometer manufacturer gave notice 
that that article was “-going up.” Old fogies wet 
their fore-fingers, held them up to the breeze, dis¬ 
covered the cold side thereof, shook tlieir heads and 
swore “ by Solon ” that the weather hadn’t settled— 
and it hadn't. Nothing but organization, prepara¬ 
tion and arrangement was done on the grounds 
the first day. 
In the evening, Dr. Fitch read a paper on the 
Aphis, and a discussion on the subject of “ Insects 
injurious to vegetation ” lollovved. This will 
appear in the Rural hereafter. 
THE FIRST DAY 
PRIVATE TO T1IE WESTERN READER.} 
HOW THINGS LOOK DOWN EAST, 
Six or seven hundred miles divided by Michigan 
City, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Windsor, 
London, Hamilton, Suspension Bridge, Rochester. 
Left Chicago at 8 P. >!•, reached Rochester at. 8i P. 
11. next day. A good sleeping car with perfect ven¬ 
tilation on the Mich. Central Railway. The luxury 
of good air in a rail car alone is worth the extra 
charge for a berth—and more too. A very difficult, 
breakfast, on the ferry for which gave a dollar bill 
aad received as change thirly-five cents In bedaubed 
and dilapidated stamps. A cheerful ride through 
the land of refuge lor cowardly sneaks and colored 
citizens of the U. S., with genilemauly officials, and 
John Bull with his punctuality, pertinacity and in¬ 
dividuality, short coats, long waistcoats, baggy un¬ 
mentionables, double windrows of whiskers, a great 
amount of leather on the lower extremities, and an 
abbreviated tile on the upper—John Bull with his 
hearty cheer, impregnable self, courtesy and cool¬ 
ness, is not a bad fellow to meet on the road, reader. 
IIOW T1IR COUNTRY LOOKS ON THE WAY. 
Might as well tell you—it’s so long since we have 
been ofi' the prairies together. Didn’t see anything 
in Michigan until just before reaching Detroit, 
Found that the night’s ride had brought me into the 
region where the “small kind of com” is planted. 
But the apples!—trees laden as they used to be on 
tho stony side-hills of New York in the days of 
hard cider and Tippecanoe—red, crimson and yel¬ 
low, green, golden sad russet, beuding the branches 
and covering the ground. Not your apples with 
approved nomenclature, but the “natural fruit” 
which we boyB used to steal, stud into the hay-mow, 
into our pockets, and munch in school with our 
heads down on the desk. 
— Tho clover fields, the timothy lea, the hill-sides, 
the scattering forest trees, the gray old rocks crop¬ 
ping out, the pastures with their ring, streaked and 
speckled habitane, all and singular, awoke reminis¬ 
cences of the old home and its ussociatians to which 
I am eagerly and impatiently hastening after three 
years absence, and to which, kind reader, you shall 
bo an accompanying guest. 
— 0 fur the cord-wood I saw in Canada, to pile 
up in the back-yards and wood-sheds of Chicagoans 
at present prices, or considerably lees; and to 
put in the hands of “the proper authorities”— 
whoever they may be—to distribute to tho poor 
there. 
— 0 lor a few of the hills and ravines, with the 
gorgeous autumnal glory in which they are clad 
ju6t now, planted down as a back-ground and nat¬ 
ural protection to the Garden City. How familiar 
the changing foliage ot the maples look, the crimson 
of the dogwood and oak, the gold of the poplar, and 
tho purple, and brown, and greeu of those Canada 
forests! “What do people want to live here for V* 
said a mammon eaten Chicago merchant to me— 
“ What can induce men to chop, and dig, and delve 
among the roots, and stumps, and stones, when they 
can make more with less money and labor on the 
prairies ?” 
“ Ignorance is bliss,” I replied. “ They have not 
seen the prairies perhapB.” And 1 added mentally, 
“ Thank God, all men do not live to make money, 
and die worshiping it, and unredeemed from its 
taint.” I know, however, that there are meu who 
will regard my thanksgiving without foundation in 
fact 
AT ROCHESTER. 
It is six years since I stopped in this beautiful 
rural city. I now stop to attend the New York 
State Fair. The farmers of the home State hold 
their annual reunion here this year. It is more 
than fifteen years since I looked at the congregated 
representatives of the herds and fiock9 of New 
York, and as the representative farmers who gather 
KVkIUt GROUNDS eVT ROCH I'ISl’E II, 1H( 
[I was carelessly sauntering along the sheep pens, 
when a benevolent-faced dame—one of the kind of 
farmer’s wives that are always fearful you have 
never eaten dinner enough—came along, garru¬ 
lously giving her opinion of the value of “that 
coarse wool for spinning,” and with a little indigna¬ 
tion, she looked up at one of the premium cards, 
with the good Secretary’s name thereon, and ex¬ 
claimed, “ What! Does Mr. Johnson own all this 
stock? Here is another premium for him—first, 
second and third! I declare, I should think him 
considerable of a farmer!” See what a responsibil¬ 
ity attaches to the use of one’s own name in all pos¬ 
sible places—as if my respected friend was not 
famous enongb, without monopolizing all the pre¬ 
miums !] 
But we come to the pen of Hampshire Downs, 
exhibited by A. T. Parsons. In this kind of stock 
the West (and East) is somewhat interested. Let. 
us ask a few questions:—'“ Do you breed these pure, 
and find it profitable?” “Yes, sir.” “For mutton?” 
“Yes, sir, and for wool, with the present demand 
for coarse wool.” “Have you bred them on fine- 
wooled sheep? and with what result?” “I have 
bred on Spanish Merinos, and find the carcass 
largely increased, the wool improved over the 
Downs, and when fine wool is bringing a higher 
price than coarse, but little difference in the value 
of carcass and product of wool, compared with the 
pure Hampshire Downs. Now, I think the pure 
bred Hampshire Down more profitable than the 
cross—if not always the case. For tbe wool brings 
as much, the carcass more, and the stock lbr breed¬ 
ing purposes always more than crosses.” 
“ llow does this crossing affect the weight of wool 
taken from the sheep, compared with the Merino?” 
“It does not always appreciate the quantity; in 
some cases it does. It depends upon the character 
of the flock on which the cross is made.” 
“ How does this mutton sell in market compared 
with the Sou'h Down?” 
“ For the same price precisely—a cent more per 
pound than the mutton of any other sheep.” 
“ How much is the market value of mutton ap¬ 
preciated by these crosses compared with pure 
Merinos?” 
“ The first crosses will often sell equally well with 
the pure bred; but it depends upon the smut on the 
If, as is often the ease, the cross is 
Spanish Merino. — The exhibition of Spanish 
Merino as a whole, was inferior. There were a lew 
good animals In the pens; but 1 found that the bulk 
of the exhibition was made by itinerating peddlers 
ol fine wool sheep. 
Silesian Merinos. — There were several pens of 
this breed and their crosses on exhibition. The dis¬ 
cussion on the purity of this breed and the relative 
value for the farmers of this country, was animated 
and interesting. But I have no space for it here. 
There were fine animals exhibited. 1 talked with 
Mr. Chamberlain, of Dutchess county, about this 
stock, lie told me his flock of 400, averaged nine 
pounds of wool per head. Has sold wool at 10 to 65 
cents, according to the year and market. They are 
very good breeders — nurses. Says they are as 
barfly or hardier than the Spanish. He keeps his 
in large flocks — two or three or five hundred, as it 
happens. They are well wooied. Mr. C. says 
crossing with French Merinos has been attended 
with excellent results; improving the wool of the 
French because it is made thicker. The sheep 
exhibited here were well wooied with large car¬ 
casses. I had no chance to compare their wool with 
that of other breeds. 
SWINE. 
The show of swine was a respectable one—none 
remarkable except some “Improved Cheshires,” 
from Jefferson county. The result of careful cross- 
THE SECOND DAY 
Continued wet. There were more people npon the 
grounds, however, than during both the previous 
days—say tea thousand, us the receipts indicated. 
In Ihe evening the paper and discussion on drain¬ 
ing was spicy uud profitable. The meeting was 
largely attended. 
THE THIRD DAY —THURSDAY — 
Gave ns, about ten o'clock, the first gleam of sun¬ 
shine, during the week. Tkecrisiscame and passed, 
and the people, thirty thousand strong, had come 
to rescue their Fair from pecuniary failure. About 
$6,000 were received to-day, (for this is written 
at the close of the third day,) and the Treasurer 
reports near nine thousand dollars as the receipts to 
dale. 
This much said by way of preface, showing tbe 
main cause why th*s Fair may not be a triumphant 
success—the bad weather—we (yon and I reader,) 
will look through such departments as we may find 
time to examine, nere at the right of the office of 
the Press and the Telegraph is tho 
POULTRY. 
The largest, and in most respects tho finest exhi¬ 
bition I ever saw. There are African, China, Bremen, 
and the common wild aud domesticated Amer¬ 
ican geese—a large exhibition. Turkeys, bronze 
raid otherwise, wild from tho prairies and tame from 
the yards and poultry houses of tho Genesee Val¬ 
ley. Then here are the Shanghais, better propor¬ 
tioned than in their younger days, but no smaller; 
Chitagongs and Malays, Bantams and Dominiques, 
Dorkings and Dunghills, English, Derby and Su¬ 
matra game, Bolton Greys and Golden, White, 
Black and Silver Polands, Black Spanish and 
blacker Hauiburghs,—all these families of chickens 
in variety and sub-variety, making a show that 
ought to again awaken the chicken lever—the larg¬ 
est and best show of chickens 1 ever saw. 
“By Crackey,” said Tom Honest, with one hand 
thrust deep in his breeohes pocket and holding fast 
on to his money, apprehensive of pickpockets, “By 
Crackey, look at those Gold Lace Bantams; if it 
would not make a fighting cook ashamed of himself 
to get in such company—he’d wilt some!” 
Then the Ducks — Muscovys and Top-knots, 
Aylesbury and Cayuga Black, Rowen, White Po¬ 
lands, and the Common, in variety—a worthy exhi¬ 
bition of the quacking community. 
There Doves and Pigeons, Long and Short-Eared 
Rabbits, Pea and Guinea fowls, &c., &c., in variety 
ol character and excellence. 
SHEEP. 
There is a good exhibition of Leicesters—very 
fine exhibition ol auimals. There is a large exhi¬ 
bition of Cotswolds and most excellent animals in 
the pens. I have never seen better. 
Monsters .—now the people rush to see them. 
How they like to look at big things! There are 
some grossly fed animals exhibited, and crinoline is 
sacrificed recklessly, aud hats knocked iuto a cocked 
condition iu the effort to get a peep at a five year 
old steer, weighing thirty-two bnudred pounds, and 
wearing a blue ribbon. 
Hereford *.—There is the largest and best exhibi¬ 
tion of this kind of stock I ever saw. They are a 
large-framed, loose-join fed, (comparatively) well- 
proportioned stock. Put on flesh easily—too easily, 
I reckon, to bu a first-rate dairy stock. But it is 
claimed they are u s good as tho Short-horns iu all 
respects, which may be the case. I know them to 
be superior in one, to wit — as working oxen. I 
know of no breed that compare with them for this 
docility, strength, and endurance being 
face and limbs, 
marked like the Down, they will sell for as much in 1 
the New York market. If not so smutty, the price 
depreciates.” 
Shropshire Downs. — Here are a few pens of 
these sheep raised and exhibited by Jacob Lorillard, 
whose sheep farms are located at Fordham, New 
York. It is claimed that these Bheep are equal to 
the South Down in qualify of mutton and wool, but 
are much larger. They will dress more, judging 
from appearance. The shepherd told me he thought 
these carcasses dressed, would weigh 25 per cent, 
more than the South Down, Crossed on the com¬ 
mon sheep, and on the Cotswolds, Leicester?. &a, 
the product is excellent. It will answer to cross 
them on the Merinos, provided the ewes are kept 
strong and properly cared for. But unless great 
care is taken, the shepherd will lose some of his 
purpose 
the test 
HORSES. 
Most excellent animals were shown, and some 
particularly tine spans of carriage horses. But I 
was unable to see the stock in tbe stalls, and too 
busy in other departments to be present at their ex¬ 
hibition in the ring. 
Seward's Arabian Horses.— There they stood in 
the sunlight, tbe morning of Thursday. A crowd 
around them. Disappointed. No live Yankee or 
sensible Sucker would have taken them at an extra¬ 
ordinary price. They were in bad condition, so iar 
as grooming was concerned,-—no credit to the rub¬ 
ber in the stables of the Secretary of State. Would 
rather have one of Dorsey’s crosses of Morgan’s 
and thorough-breds, than both of them. 
seems to be questioned now. It is found (hat it no 
longer pays to force air under the skin to “establish 
a point,” or produce a feature. We are getting 
sharp. The farmers of tho country have paid lor 
their experience. The occupation ol professional 
exhibitors is gone, if indeed the running of State 
Fairs, for the benefit of the owners of bulls, is not 
played out. 
V>*iJTTTTiriU 4u 
wi r* i 
-,<7i 
__ -’r 
>< 1 . * 
ID 
ni! 
Wms till* ni 1 
