THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
574 
LIVE STOCK INTERESTS AND FAIRS. 
JONATHAN PERIAM. 
The question of the proper management of 
fairs, to give the best satisfaction to exhibi¬ 
tors, and at the same time to secure the most 
money at the gates by an exhibition that will 
attract the greatest attendance of the public 
at large, is a problem that is yearly discussed 
with more end more attention in our Boards 
of Agriculture, and by other bodies, who 
manage our yearly exhibitions in agriculture 
and the mechanic arts. Whether the exhibi¬ 
tions iu the speed rings (racing) are of good or 
bad influence, it is certain that the fairs 
which admit these, are peeuniarially 
more successful than those from which racing 
is debarred. Local fairs, district fairs, und 
State fairs, with few exceptions, find it diffi¬ 
cult to make both ends meet, one year with 
another, without these speed rings, and the 
intelligent issue of the question seems now to 
have settled down to this: how to manage 
these trials of speed, aud divest them of the 
betting, gambling, and other immoral prac¬ 
tices that inevitably cluster about the racing 
track. These have never yet been eliminated, 
probably never will. For instance, the Illi¬ 
nois State Board of Agriculture, that has 
rather steadfastly abstained from speed rings 
at its fairs, has again offered for the nest 
fair a largo sum for this purpose. The mana¬ 
gers will undoubtedly make money by it. But 
it is an open question whether a department of 
the State Government should foster that kind 
of exhibitions. At the last fair there were 
speed rings every day. It paid; in other 
words, it drew a crowd, and very orderly they 
wore. It is hardly probable that crowds of 
people would have attended daily without 
this feature. 
Personally, I have always opposed this fea¬ 
ture of fairs, for one important reason: Chil¬ 
dren here get their first idea of horse-racing, 
with its accompanying betting and other 
fraudulent and degrading practices always 
present, Another reason: It, is not intimately 
connected with the agricultural interests; yet 
to bo successful from a money point of view, 
it must be n marked feature Of tbo fair. There 
are other minor reasons. Nevertheless, of late 
years my feelings of opposition ha ve been modi¬ 
fied. There are fast and fine horses enough now 
owned in all largo cities, so that, mere speed 
is open to the daily view of all who visit the 
parks, boulevards, or other places whore fast 
driving is admissible. Speed at our fairs 
really means trotting. Running races are so 
small a part of the show that they might well 
be left out entirely, and few would notice the 
onmslno. The trotting horse ia, as a rule, a 
horse not only able to sustain u high speed for 
long distance®, but he is a work horse as well 
—thul. is, his muscular development is such, 
and Ins weight sufficient, to make him a good 
road horse. There aru now lurgo sums of 
money invested iu the breeding of tbess 
horse®, and hence they are yearly becoming 
more and more an important integer in the 
agrictlltui ai productions of the country. The 
child whose parents persistently refuse to let 
him see a race, usually sees one the very first 
opportunity. It is probably better to take 
the true ground—that speeding horses is not 
necessarily improper. It is dishonesty, when 
practiced, and association with disreputable 
persons that, must lie avoided. The child who 
is educated to abhor betting and all dishon¬ 
est practices, because they are wrong, will not 
be hurt by seeing exhibitions of speed at 
fairs The fair that, permits open betting, 
pool boxes, the sweat cloth, and other gamb¬ 
ling devices should be avoided by all respec¬ 
table people. 
The exhibition of live stock at fairs and the 
premiums therefor, are ostensibly for the 
same purpose as are premiums in any other or 
the ^departments. The object of both is to 
induce the breeders to show animals in fami¬ 
lies and in competition, aud to come in con¬ 
tact with a largo number of individuals. All 
contribute to the integrity of the show, and 
the winning individual gets sufficient in prizes 
to pay a part, often all, sometimes more than 
all, the eoet of exhibiting. This is espe¬ 
cially true of the stock rings, Tlio awarding 
of premiums at fail’s is among the most oner¬ 
ous of the duties that must be performed. The 
chief difficulty the managers have to encoun¬ 
ter is the non-attendance of committeemen. 
The principal trouble is in the matterof stock. 
No person is capable of making even a measur¬ 
ably true award, unless he is an expert. He 
must be either a breeder himself, or else must 
have given special study to the work. As a 
rule, a person who Las made aniruuts a careful 
and critical study, without being himself a 
breeder, is the most competent judge. Such 
are scarcely to be found. Hence the running, 
to and fro, of the superintendents und assist¬ 
ants, to gather up ‘'somebody,' 1 That some¬ 
body is as apt to know nothing, as something, 
of what he is selected to do. As to whether 
the system of awarding by ballot or by con¬ 
sultation is the proper one, there can be no 
doubt that iu the case of an expert committee, 
the ballot is proper. Iu the case of a commit¬ 
tee as generally organized, it has no merit 
whatever. The idea that it is a check to 
fraud, is the merest, nonsense. A dishonest 
committee will easily find means to come to 
an understanding. Aa honest man needs no 
safeguard. In a ring of animals there are 
always some points upon which there are 
doubts, even among the best judges. There 
may t>e compensations seen by the better 
judge that the less expert may not see. The 
natural instinct of humanity is toward hon¬ 
esty, and so long as stock must be judged by 
inexpert judges, judging by ballot amounts to 
mere guessing. It has even come to be a by¬ 
word, that the ribbon is the guess of the 
committee. 
“Rural Sew-Y 
CLUBBIHG COMBINATIONS: 
Specimen Copies of either of the journals here announced as clubbing with the RURA 
charge to all who apply. The application, however, must be made to the journal 
Send for them! Subscribe through the RURAL NEW 
The Inter- Ocean 
IS ONE OF 
The ABLEST and PUREST NEWSPAPERS 
Published in the United States. 
Its enterprise in collecting news in both Europe and America is not excelled by any 
American journal, and the boldness and ability with which it editorially discusses the 
living issues of the day give it a high character as a literary and political publication. 
THE WEEKLY EDITION OF THE INTER-OCEAN, as a family paper, is 
the equal of any American Weakly Newspaper. 
It is edited with great care iu all its departments, and especially adapted to the 
position of fireside friend for both young and old. 
Its popularity is evidenced by the extent of its circulation ., which is now the largest 
of any similar publication in the United States. 
By special clubbing arrangement made between the publishers, 
TIE WEEKLY INTER-OCEAN 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
(Including the li If HAL'S Eree Seed Distribution ) 
Will be Sent One Year, Postage Paid, for $2.65 . 
THE WEEKL Y INTER-OCEAN is a. large eight-page paper, with seven columns 
to the page. About once in four weeks it prints four pages additional, making a twelve- 
page paper. 
In addition to the news of the world, of which it has an admirable condensation, 
THE INTER-OCEAN keeps up with all current literature, publishing the best stories 
and literary productions of the day. Its family departments , which are run under the 
several titles, 
“OUR CURIOSITY SHOP," “WOMAN’S KINGDOM,” AND “THE HOME.” 
are ably and happily conducted, and in themselves constitute a very valuable feature. 
In its Correspondence , both American and foreign, THE INTER-OCEAN excels 
almost all contemporaries. In addition to its correspondence by mail from Paris, Ixm- 
don, and other European Capitals , THE INTER-OCEAN has each week 
giving all the latest and most important events of the Old World. This letter is sent by 
cable each Saturday night, aud generally occupies from two to three columns of the paper. 
Rememoer, THE WEEK! Y INTER- 0 (JEAN and RURAL NEW-YORKER one 
year only $2.(55. 
Sample copies of THE INTER-OCEAN sent free on application. 
A ddress, 
fcw r*m 
Bfl 
|T,|I 
w&Wam 
r. iB 
THE INTER-OCEAN, 
CteioagO, Ill. 
ONE DOLLAR, 
