OCT. 22 
724 
%ocutu$, & c. 
THE GREAT ST. LOUIS FAIR. 
[Rural Special Report ] 
The 31st annual fair of tho St. Louis Fair 
Association opened at St. Louis, Oct. 3, and 
closed Oct. 3. The rain which commenced on 
the 1st inst., continued right along up to Tues¬ 
day and put the grounds in a fearful condition; 
mud was so deep that up to Thursday it 
was almost impossible to get around tho 
grounds, if the Society had shown a little 
more enterprise and laid boards at the cross¬ 
ings it would have been a great accommodation 
to visitors. Wednesday the weather cleared 
up and by Thursday the grounds were suffic¬ 
iently dry to render them passible. Tho at¬ 
tendance was nearly as great as last year, and 
if it had not been for the rain this would have 
been the most successful fair evdl* held by the 
Association. As it was, the receipts ran over 
§75,000 and after all expenses are paid there 
will be a handsome balance in the hands of 
the Treasurer. The show in all departments 
was very good, but the exhibits were not as 
numerous as last year. The grounds are so 
large that it bikes a long time to get a correct 
idea of the great arnoimt of stock and ma¬ 
chinery on exhibition. Probably to avoid 
rivalry or contrast with the grand display at 
Atlanta, there was no exhibition of cotton 
this year. The ampithoatre has probably the 
finest ring in this country for showing cattle 
and horses. Sup’t. Filley’s rules were carried 
out to the letter, and no owner of an animal 
was allowed in the ring while his cattle were be¬ 
ing judged. This with the good selection of 
judges makes the awards at this fair worth 
something more than the mere amount of the 
premiums. Judges here are not paid, but Mr. 
Filley admits that eventually it will be neces¬ 
sary to pay expert judges for each class. 
The cattle shown in tho arena included 44 
Devons, 38 Horefords, 3fi Short-horns, 43 
Polled Angus, 37 Ayrshires, 31 Holsteins and 
38 Jerseys. There were about 100 more on 
exhibition or that arrived too late to compete 
for premiums. The low water in the river 
and the difficulty of getting cars prevented a 
number of Missouri and Kentucky breeders 
from exhibiting. Nearly all the premium 
herds from Peoria and Chicago were present, 
and most of those from the former place wore 
equally fortunate here. Messrs Hcover <Sc Co., 
of Columbus, Ohio, carried oil' all the herd 
and sweepstakes prizes in the Jersey class 
with their fine Eastwood herd, although among 
their competitors here were the same animals 
that defeated them at Peoria; but, thou, all 
acknowledge that the judges here were much 
more capable than those at the Illinois State 
Fair. The Unadilla Valley Dutch-Friesian herd 
carried off all the premiums in the Holstein 
class, for at these fail’s all the cattle from the 
Netherlands are grouped together in the Hol¬ 
stein class. Messrs Potts and Palmer divided the 
Short-horn bond’s, while C. M. Culbertson 
carried oil’ the principal prizes in the Hereford 
class. The show of Polled Angus was very 
fine. Frank Redfield of N. Y. with his young 
herd won tho young-herd prize and two 
sweepstakes. 
The sheep show was large and excellent. 
Mr. Cooper’s fine flock of Oxford Downs At¬ 
tracted a great deal of attention. Long and 
middle wools are the sheep for this section, 
and they filled the greater part of the exhibit. 
The swine show was good, but not up to that 
of last year. 
In the agricultural and machinery depart¬ 
ments the display was even larger than last 
year, but there was not as much variety. The 
show would have been still larger had it not 
been for the blockade on the railroads. Some 
exhibits shipped 30 days before the fair have 
not yet arrived. Fairs pay the railroads well 
—especially out here in the West—and the 
railroads ought to interest themselves more 
and see to it that goods intended for exhibi¬ 
tion get through in time, and shippers should 
patronize the roads that accommodate them 
in this way. The larger class of machinery 
such as thrashers, engines, saw-mil Is, hay 
and cotton presses were here in strong force. 
Many new buildings and additions had been 
made during the year, and these were well 
filled with all tho new and improved agricul¬ 
tural implements made for this section of the 
country. Houses like John Deere, Deere, 
Mansur & Co., the Moline Plow Co., the 
Oliver Plow Co,, the Whitman Agricultural 
Co., J. A. Field & Co., etc., hail fine buildings 
of their own for the display of their goods. 
Messrs. Deere & Co.; showed a now power lift 
on their Gilpin sulky, for throwing the plow 
out of the ground. It is a very simple appli¬ 
cation and takes well. Walter A. Wood’s 
new automatic binder also attracted a crowd 
of interested inspectors. The Plow display 
was largo. One of tho interesting features of 
fair was a test of traction engines on the 
grounds. The “Vibrator,” “ Case,” “ Canton 
Monitor,” llooven, Owens & Co., “ Belleville,” 
“ Gaar, Scott & Co.,” and “ Ritchie,” were all 
tested for the purpose of ascertaining the 
amount of the direct draft of each on a level. 
The J. I. Case engine attracted more than 
ordinary attention on account of tho largo 
amount of power developed. Its large area of 
fire surface gives it steaming advantages that 
place it in this respect far ahead in this line of 
engines. It is simple and easy to manage; 
every lever, wheel and valve is under the con¬ 
trol of one operator. A few hours’ practice 
will enable the average farmer nr thrasher- 
man to fully understand and run It. This is 
something that fanners are looking for, and 
Messrs. Case & Co. have taken the greatest 
pains to make this engine as simple as possible. 
Mr. Steven Bull, tho Vice-President of the 
company, and Walter Dutton, General Agent, 
had Mr. Walrath, the superintendent of the 
works, on the ground, to thoroughly explain 
and show up its great traction powers. The 
engine was attached to another traction engine 
in full gear, and drew, on a dead level, equal 
to over nine tons, and this on the soft, clay 
ground and with only 85 pounds of steam, at 
the same time running the air pressure up to 
05 pounds with apparent ease. The wheels are 
a great improvement, as they are made extra- 
large and are entirely of wrougbt-iron, with 
broad tires, giving greater direct draft than 
can possibly be obtained from smaller wheels. 
Another great improvement is the square-bot¬ 
tom boiler, the ash-pan of which can he readi¬ 
ly detached, giving the operator easy access 
to the interior of the fire-box for examination 
and repairs if necessary. Tho crown sheet is 
strengthened with heavy wrought bars firmly 
riveted in the strongest manner, and it is also 
provided with a well-arranged safety plug as 
a precaution agninst explosion in case of care¬ 
lessness—a great advantage. Another is the 
peculiar arrangement of the traction gear: it. 
is constructed in such a manner that when all 
of the gears are thrown out, tho engine can he 
drawn from place to place as an ordinary 
portable ongiue, without the friction and wear 
of the goal’s common in other engines. It is 
geared to rim seven miles an hour on a good 
road, and it can easily do it. Messrs. J, L 
Case & Co., R.aeine, Wis., its builders, alse ex¬ 
hibited their new “ Agitator” thrasher. They 
run the largest works of this kind in the 
world. 
The 1 leering New Automatic Twine Bind¬ 
er, shown hi operation by W. F. Olin, 
general agent for Win. Deering, Chicago, Ill., 
was among the most interesting of exhibits. 
The remarkable success that this binder has 
met with—over 8,000 of them having been 
sold and put into active service during the 
past year—is evidence enough to show how 
well it takes with farmers. The enter¬ 
prise of the manufacturer is shown in the 
improvements constantly being made, they 
having added this year an iron cutter-bar, a 
new device for raising and lowering the plat¬ 
form and a perfectly adjustable reel, with 
two motions by a single lever at all times 
under the control of the operator. This is an 
automatic binder and lias a canvass grain ad¬ 
juster that evens up tho butts, a very valuable 
improvement, as it allows the farmer to take 
up tangled-ilown anil short grain in the best 
possible manner. This binder, like all of Mr 
Deering’s goods, was very handsomely fin¬ 
ished. Sir. Olin also showed Deering’s new- 
iron mower. This is an entirely new' machine 
which has just completed its first season, and 
has met with a success second only to that of 
the binder. It is a model of compactness and 
simplicity. Mr. Deering also makes the 
Leader Reaper and Warrior Mower. These 
machines are well known all over the world. 
One of the largest factories in this country is 
being run to its fullest capacity and 1,300 
men are given employment in turning out 
the Deering machines. 
One of the largest and handsomest displays 
of carriages ever made upon a fair ground 
was that made by Deere, Mansur & Co., the 
Southwestern branch house of the Cortland 
Wagon Co,, Cortland, N. Y. They were 
awarded tho first premium for this display, 
and well they deserved it. They showed 50 
jobs and 43 varieties of platform and three- 
spring wagons, buggies and phaetons of all 
descriptions mnl sunays. The Cortland Com¬ 
pany by turning out none but the best goods 
in the market and paying especial attention 
to stylo and finish, have worked up an im¬ 
mense trade in this great Southwestern mar¬ 
ket. This branch alone has sold over 4,000 
buggies and wagons the present year. It 
speaks w'ell for one of our New York institu¬ 
tions when they come way out, here and con¬ 
trol a trade like this right under tho noses of 
our large Western manufacturers; but Mr. 
Fitzgerald, the president of tho company, had 
tiie pluck to work up the trade before tho 
others got in, and now by putting out a super¬ 
ior line of finished goods ho proposes to hold it. 
Tho first premium for largest and best dis¬ 
play of Missouri machines was awarded to the 
Whitman Agricultural Co., St. Louis, Mo., on 
their fine exhibit of corn shellors of all sizes 
and description, feed cutters, Young America 
and Monarch corn-and-cob mills, cider mills, 
etc. This company made a very handsome 
exhibit, which they will probably exceed an¬ 
other year, as their new factory at Clark and 
Eighth Streets, is now in full blast and their 
increased facilities for manufacturing will 
give them a chance to enlarge their line. They 
have improved their celebrated Young Amer¬ 
ica and Monarch corn-and-cob mill this sea¬ 
son by adding caul-rust steel grinders; all the 
hearings, too, are now chilled and they have 
increased the thickness of the cone and 
strengthened the breakers. These popular 
mills are so well known that a detailed des¬ 
cription would be superfluous. 
The St. Louis Branch of the Gibbs & Sterritt 
Manufacturing Co., Cforry, Pa., made a large 
and handsome exhibit of Climax mowers and 
reapers and self-binders. To meet the de¬ 
mand of the times this enterprising firm have 
added to their list, this year, tho new Climax 
automatic self-binder. This is a twine-bin¬ 
der on the packer principle and has stood the 
past season very sueessfully. It has been 
thoroughly tested in the field, and the com¬ 
pany propose to put it in the market next 
season on its recognized merits. The new 
front-cut Climax light blower attracted a 
great deal of attention. It is a light, com¬ 
pact and simple machine. Its gearing is in¬ 
closed in a neat, iron case. The crank shaft 
has hearings in front and behind the pitman 
head, obviating the motion produced when 
the crank shaft is overhung, and giving a strong 
and oven motion to the knife. This is an im¬ 
portant improvement. The Climax machines 
are constantly gaining in favor, and both the 
Chicago and St. Louis houses report an ex¬ 
cellent year’s business. 
A great portion of the main building was 
occupied by the large and varied display of 
drills made by the St. Louis branch of P. P. 
Mast & Co., Springfield, Ohio. They showed 
the Buckeye spring-hoe drill, the Buckeye 
spring-pressure shoe drill, the old reliable 
Buckeye hoe drill, this Buckeye combined fer¬ 
tilizer and force-feed grain drill, and also a 
full lino of Buckeye three and five-hoed drills, 
cultivators, sulky plows, cider mills. Buckeye 
spring-tooth sulky harrows, broadcast seeders, 
etc. This firm makes drills to suit any and 
every section of the world where grain is 
raised, and their reputation is so fully estab¬ 
lished that sales are made on the name alone. 
The St. Louis branch has doubled its business 
within tho year. The main factory at Spring- 
field, Ohio, is the largest hi this line in the 
country, and it is run to its fullest capacity to 
meet the demand for the Buckeye goods. 
An exhibit that attracted a great deal of at¬ 
tention was that made by the Vandevere Com 
Planter Co., Quincy, 111. T*ey had the larges 
and finest show of planters on the grounds, in¬ 
cluding tho Barlow Rotary, Vandevere an l 
Quincy planters. A distinctive feature in the 
Barlow planter is tho rotary or revolving seed 
cup, by the use of which the corn is sown five 
hills in advance. This planter is also noted 
for its regularity of drop. I have seen it set 
to drop a single kernel and it did not miss once 
in 1,700 times. This makes it very effective in 
drilling com, as its drilling attachment can be 
set to drop from 13, 15 and 18 inches, and its 
regular work should always insure a good 
stand. Thousands of those planters are now 
in use, and the demand the past season far 
exceeded the supply. 
The Moline Wagon Co., Moline, Ill, 
showed one of the handsomest farm wagons 
ever put out upon a fair ground. This wagon 
was fixed up differently from the ordinary 
run of fair exhibit goods in that it fully 
represented a fair sample of their regu¬ 
lar wagons, and the work was all in the finish. 
The Moline Company have doubled their 
manufacturing capacity within the past year, 
and arc now putting out fit) finished wagons a 
day. Their goods have attained a high rep- 
utatio for superior quality, finish ami light¬ 
ness of draft, and meet with full approval 
wherever introduced. They make a full and 
complete line of spring, half-platform, three- 
spring and farm wagons of all kinds to meet 
the demands of all sections of the country. 
A full line of haying implements was exhib¬ 
ited by J. E. Porter, of Ottawa, Ill., including 
the well-known Porter wood-track hay ear¬ 
lier, hay derricks, etc. As usual, Mr. Porter 
carried off the first premium at this fair. 
i^lsccllanrcnts. 
SAUK CENTRE, MINN. 
A Hasty Glance at This Busy City. 
MESSRS. HOLMES AND SWEETLAND. 
[Special Correspondents of the Rural New-Yorker. J 
Prominent by virtue of its location and 
excellent surrounding country; progressive 
from the activity and energy of its business 
men; proud of the advantages and induce¬ 
ments which it is able to offer to capital and 
labor to locate here—thus we found this thriv¬ 
ing little city. It is incorporated, and by last 
census numbered 1,311 souls, now estimated at 
1,500 to 1,600. It has an admirable location 
in the midst of “ The Park Region,” 117 miles 
from St. Paul, on the “ Short Line ” of the 
St. Paul. Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway. 
Near it, and within easy access, are Big Sauk 
(upon which it borders) Birch Bark, Cedar, 
Fairy miles north) Whipple, Villard and 
Osakis Lakes: ail beautiful bodies of water, 
abounding In fish. Several of them are be¬ 
coming popular resorts. Around them may 
be found quantities of game—wild geese, 
ducks, prairie chickens and partridges, with 
deer and bear for those socking larger spoils. 
Land about Sauk Centre can yet be pur¬ 
chased (wild) at from $4 to $10 per acre. It 
is a good stock country with timber lands to 
the north and east and prairie to the south 
and west, upon which are large yield of cereals 
and root crops. Michigan Winter apples are 
obtainable at from $2.50 to $3.00 per barrel. 
Besides the railroad mentioned, this city 
will have the Little Falls and Dakota, now 
being constructed to connect with the North¬ 
ern Pacific and with Duluth’s projected lines 
—operated by the N. P. The Sauk Centre 
and Northern is now being surveyed from 
here to the magnificent hard-wood timber 
region of tho North, and one or two other 
hues are projected. Thus it is rapidly assum¬ 
ing the position of a railroad center. 
The town itself is well laid out, with wide, 
clean streets, substantial business houses and 
neat residences. There are five chui’ches— 
Episcopal, Congregational, Baptist, Metho¬ 
dist, and Catholic. There is also a good brick 
school building, value §13,000, well ventilated, 
with seven departments and as many teachers. 
Various orders are represented by flourishing 
lodges; A F and A M; I. O, O. F.; I. O. G. 
T; T of H; and K of H. There is an efficient 
volunteer fire department. Two excellent news¬ 
papers, the “Tribune" and “Herald,” con¬ 
tribute largely to the advancement of intel¬ 
lectuality and social union. A Board of 
Trade has been recently organized, the object 
being to concentrate the energy of many into 
one body for the protection and advance¬ 
ment mutual interests, and surely the import¬ 
ance of these demands it. The secretary will 
give attention to lettere of inquiry. The com¬ 
mercial business of the past year was $1,371,- 
950 ; bank capital $100,000, with an aggregate 
business of full}' $4,000,000. The wheat market¬ 
ed here was over 500,000 bushels, thus showing 
it a centre of trade. The county has no indebt¬ 
edness and that of the city is light. It is most¬ 
ly peopled by Americans, with a small foreign 
element. In manufacturing we found two 
doming mills—one water and one steam, the 
iatic .1 la zing received the State premiums for 
its lie ill’. There is, too, a manufactory of fan- 
mug lulls of world-wide reputation, and a 
foundry. There is a good water power only 
•p.a do.ll/ utilized. As an aid to the labors of 
a i tntciprising citizens, to become a large 
•l d t:.i tv city Sank Centre only needs 
ngiioulj -al implement and wagon factories 
(t ) ls y i e abundant hard wood) a canning 
o-tAV .: nt, a creamery and cheese factory, 
a custom flouring mill and the attention of 
tho better class of immigrants. 
CATALOGUES, ETC. 
Tub Journal of The American Agricul¬ 
tural Association for 1S8L will contain, 
a., cue ttror articles, “A Description of a 
' id Da-i v and Stock Farm,” bv Francis D. 
Moulton, with fifteen pages of illustrations, 
and articles on “ Sheep Husbandry in the 
South,” by Colonel J. H. Moore, of Kansas; 
on “ Farmers and the Tariff," by Prof. 
Arthur L. Perry, of Williams College; on 
“ Co-operative Experiments with Fertilizers,” 
by Prof. W. O. Atwater, of Wesleyan Uni¬ 
versity: on the “Relation between Seeding 
and Quality in Fruits and Vegetables,” by Dr. 
E. Lewis Sturtevant; on “Agricultural Edu¬ 
cation for the Young,” by Dr. Byron D. Hal- 
sted, and on “ The Railroad and the Farmer,” 
by Hon. Edward Atkinson, with a reply 
thereto by Hon. L. E. Chittenden, President 
of the Anti-Monopoly League. There will 
also be a n ail icle fully describing the Rural 
New-Yorker's, Experiment Farm. Beginning 
with this number the Journal is to be pub¬ 
lished quarterly, the next number appearing 
in January next. 
The Wild Garden, hy W, Robinson, F. L 
S. Published at 37 Southampton Street, Cov- 
ent Garden, London, England, and by Scrib¬ 
ner A Wolford. New York. Illustrated. The 
author is the originator of what has become 
known as the “Wild Garden ” system, which 
consists essenti.-dh in placing “perfectly 
hardy exotic plantain places and under condi¬ 
tions where they will become established and 
take cure of themselves.” The work before us 
consists of 179 pages, is substantially bound, 
nicely printed in clear, bold type, and illustra¬ 
ted w ith numerous engravings by Alfred Par¬ 
sons. In it tin* author sets forth his idea of 
what a “wild garden” should be, and tells 
what different orders of plants may be util¬ 
ized in producing tin* best results, and how. 
Some years since Mr. Robinson contributed 
several articles to the Rural New-Yorker 
on the “ Wild Garden.” and the idea was rap¬ 
idly taken up in America, England and 
France. We commend the hook to all, and 
especially to those who delight in transform¬ 
ing “unseemly” places into gardens of beauty. 
It is our desire and intention to refer to this 
valuable work again. 
