657 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
A FRAUDULENT PICTURE. MOORE’S ARCTIC PLUM. Fig. 386. (See page 651.) 
I am glad to say that some 
members of the Hoard are 
fully alive to the need of a re¬ 
formation in this direction. 
There was ah improvement 
in one direction at least, as 
the sale of liquors on the 
grounds wus not permitted, 
probably owing to the scandal 
caused by the drunkenness 
prevalent last year, and I 
hope to see still further im¬ 
provements, until the State of 
Michigan shall have a fair 
that shall be an honor to it, 
and of benefit as well as of 
interest to the farmers. Pick¬ 
pockets were in attendance in 
full number, and many of the 
visitors were relieved of every 
cent they had. 
Fruit Hall. —Michigan is 
so well organized horticultu- 
rally, that there is never a question as 
to the success of the horticultural depart¬ 
ment of the State Fair. The State Agri¬ 
cultural Society employs the Michigan Horti¬ 
cultural Society to make the fruit and flower 
exhibit, paying 51,400 and the premiums, 
usually amounting to about 51,000 more. It 
always proves to be a good investment, and 
this explains why the arrangement Las been 
continued for 11 years. Fruit Hall is a rec¬ 
tangular building 40x100 feet, with three tables 
extending the whole length. Those upon either 
side are arranged so as to incline toward the 
center of the hall. These tables, when filled 
on Wednesday morning, really made the most 
imposing fruit exhibit that Michigan ever 
witnessed—and what State can do better? The 
entries numbered 1,100. The peach, plum and 
grape exhibits were most attractive. The 
peaches came mostly from Van Buren County, 
just west of Kalamazoo; the plums from 
Oceana and Mason Counties, and the grapes 
zoo, a commercial establishment with suffi¬ 
cient stock to furnish a good display in this 
division. The competition was so close for the 
premiums that committees, in viewing entries 
of 100 or more plates, found it necessary to 
scale individual plates, and even specimens, in 
order to arrive at a satisfactory decision. The 
first award on Society collections of fruits for 
general use went to Van Buren County, or 
rather, to the South Haven and Casco Society. 
This same society took the leading premium 
in Fruit Hall at the Illinois State Fair the 
week previous. 
The committee dealt summarily with plates 
of fruit showing blemishes, such as worm 
holes, broken stems or bruised pulp. Presi¬ 
dent Parsons of the Agricultural Society, who 
has taken first premium on Bartlett, Louise 
Bonne, Sheldon, Seckel and Gray Doyenn6 
pears, for several years, was heard to remark 
“I learned a lesson some years ago, thatl shall 
never forget. I had unquestionably the finest- 
tasteful embellishment of collections, and 
the outcome was every thing the society could 
wish. Flowers and greenery were employed 
freely in ornamenting the plates of fruit, and 
delicate taste was exercised in the arrange¬ 
ment of the colors of the fruits themselves. 
The Niagura Grape as shown from a number 
of Michigan vineyards, attracted a good deal 
of attention. I f the Michigan State Agricultu 
ral Society would arrange with this sister 
society to manage the vegetables in a hall 
alongside of the fruits and flowers, it would 
be effective in elevating the truck garden to 
the place to which it belongs, and horticultur al 
products would then all be displayed together, 
as they should be. 
Live Stock. —The imperfect arrangement 
in not having each stall labeled with the name 
of the animal and of its owner, was bad for 
visitors, and renders a full report in this de¬ 
partment impossible. Owners and grooms are 
often away from their exhibits, and no one is 
THE GREAT CANADIAN 
FAIR AT TORONTO. 
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE. 
No people on this continent 
take such delight in an agri¬ 
cultural show, or put forth 
such exertions to muke a good 
one, as the Canadians. They 
make great efforts to breed or 
secure line stock, and then de¬ 
vote the whole year to put¬ 
ting the animals in the best 
possible condition for exhibi¬ 
tion, and then each exhibitor 
makes a tour of all the fairs 
withiu roach, and nothing fills 
the measure of his happiness 
quite so completely us to be 
able to cover the side of his 
stalls and pens with the red 
tickets attesting to his success, 
Others plant various crops of grains or roots 
and then, by every means known to them by 
which they can secure extraordinary growth 
and fine quality, they force these to enormous 
size, that they may secure the prizes offered; 
and these likewise make a tour of ull the ac¬ 
cessible fairs, and often succeed in securing 
several hundreds of dollars beyond paying 
expenses. And then Toronto claims to hold 
Canada’s great fair; and as this year was 
the semi-centennial of her existence as a 
city, she made an extra effort, and, as the 
result of all these circumstances, the annual 
fair, held here from September 10 to 30, was 
the most successful and brilliantever held. In 
the first place, the grounds are fitted up with 
a view of holding a permanent annual exhibi¬ 
tion, and have very fine buildings,and are very 
tastefully laid out and ornamented with shrubs 
and flowers and grass-plots in the finest man¬ 
ner. The leading nurserymen ha ve e ach taken 
a portion of the grounds, and have decorated 
Societies, etc. 
MICHIGAN STATE FAIR. 
from the interior of the State. The plant and 
floral display alternated with the fruits, and 
this arrangement added materially to the ar¬ 
tistic effect of the whole exhibit, and also to 
the difficulties of the committee work. This 
was the first public test of Secretary Garfield’s 
clasp or card-holder, figured last Winter in 
the Rural, and really there seemed nothing 
to add to Its efficiency. The Society owns its 
plates, which are of japanned tin. These have 
been in use for five years, and still are about 
as good as new. If the Michigan Society fails 
in anything, it is in the show of plants; but I 
was informed that there was not, in Kahuna- 
looking pears on exhibition, and took only 
second premium; but the members of the 
committee were justified in their decision,hav¬ 
ing found paths of the codling moth in the 
finest specimens. They will never catch me 
again.” One educational feature of the hall 
was quite noticeable, consisting of a flue ex 
hihition of injurious and beneficial insects, 
made by Clarence M. Weed, a recent graduate 
of the Agricultural College, and he was em¬ 
ployed to stand by his collection during the 
week, and answer questions. Money could not 
have been more wisely expended. Several 
I good premiums were offered for the most 
> (RURAL SPECIAL REPORT.) 
The 36t,h Annual Fair of the Michigan 
Agricultural Society was held on the grounds 
of the Driving Park Association in Kalama¬ 
zoo, September 15-19. The weather was cool 
and pleasant, with no rain to disturb the man¬ 
agement. The exhibits in nearly all the de¬ 
partments were full, and in many of them in 
excess of former years; but 
the old-time crowds of visit¬ 
ors were not there. Thursday 
was the only day that brought 
out anything like a big attend¬ 
ance. It was estimated that 
15,000 people were on the 
ground on that day, but the 
number present on other days 
was very small, so that at the 
Close the officers found the 
receipts were not sufficient to 
meet the expenses. The falling 
off in interest, as shown by the 
unusually small attendance, 
is easily accounted for, how¬ 
ever, for here, as at some other 
Western fairs, the side shows 
were the “ noisiest” attrac¬ 
tions on the ground, and horse 
racing probably the most ex¬ 
citing. The union of these ob¬ 
jectionable features with an 
agricultural fair in such a 
State as Michigan is enough 
to keep almost any farmer 
away from the scenes of vice; 
and hence it is uot at all sur¬ 
prising that thousands who 
would have been present at 
a proper kind of fair, stayed 
away. W hat does the Board 
expect a farmer Is to learn 
from these side shows, muse¬ 
ums and venders of pop corn, 
peanuts, and bogus jewelry, 
that will assist him in plying 
his vocation? Does this Board 
seek to teach the farmer 
through the means of a State 
Fair, the best and cheapest 
methods of securing good crops 
by constantly thrusting under 
his nose, at every step, every¬ 
thing detrimental to his suc¬ 
cess and injurious to the mo¬ 
rality of his household? A few 
extra dollars may, indeed, be 
put into the treasury for a 
time, but in the end the mana¬ 
gers will reap their reward, 
which will lie a total absence 
of the farmers, or at any rate, 
of the best part of them. 
left who can furnish any information, and 
hence a detailed notice eau uot he given. The 
Door Prairie Live Stock Association of Door 
Village, Ind., showed an excellent lot of Cleve¬ 
land Bay and Clydesdale horses. The Bays 
were headed by Surprise, imported in 1882, 
and weighing 1,350 lbs; he is five years old. 
The Clydesdales were beaded by Young 
Pointsman; three years old, weight 1,780 
pounds. He carried off first prize. Loftie, seven 
years old, imported in 1880, and weighing 
1.920 pounds, was very attractive. On the 
company’s farm are 50 head of imported stal¬ 
lions and mares, and 150{head bred by the 
company. Messrs. Lockwood 
& Taggert, Washington, 
Mich., exhibited Young Con¬ 
test among their Clydesdales. 
He weighs 1,705 pounds; was 
imported in 1878, and has been 
a prize-winner for three con¬ 
secutive years. George Braid- 
wood, Alruont, Mich., showed 
Duke of Normandy 2d, a fine 
Percheron stallion, weighiug 
1,900 pounds. Tie was import¬ 
ed in 1879, and is now 10 years 
old. 
The swine, sheep and poul¬ 
try exhibits were good, and 
more numerous than in pre¬ 
vious years. The entries show¬ 
ed 759 head of cattle; 428 
horses; 436 sheep; 160 swine, 
and 430 poultry. The Jerseys 
led m number in the cattle 
exhibit, there being 118 head. 
Of Holstejns aud Dutcta-Frie- 
siatis there wore 179 entries. 
The polled cattle numbered 
58; the Devons, 17, and the 
Herefords, 38, Tbo largest 
herd shown by any one exhi¬ 
bitor was that of Jerseys 
exhibited by H. R. Kingman, 
Battle Crook. 
There wore 472 entries in 
the agricultural implement 
department, aud among the 
exhibtors were many of the 
representative firms both East 
and West. The location as¬ 
signed to this department was 
quite as desirable us any ex¬ 
hibitor could wish; but the 
treatment exhibitors received 
at the hands of the officers 
was very objectionable, and 
met with much criticism. The 
advice given to exhibitors in 
the West is to form them¬ 
selves into a society, as is 
doue in New York State, and 
they will then bo in a position 
to dictate instead of being dic¬ 
tated to. G. B. B. 
