1850. 
THE CULTIVATOR 
887 
®lje Jaxnux s Mote^JSook. 
New-York State Fair at Albany. 
The Tenth Annual Show and Fair of the New- 
York State Agricultural Society, was held near this 
city, according to appointment, during the 3d, 4th, 
5th and 6th days of last month. It was another 
grand gathering of the leading farmers, or perhaps 
we might with more propriety say, the leading citi¬ 
zens of the Empire State, with multitudes of our 
brethren from other States and the adjoining British 
Provinces. The number of visitors was greater 
than at any previous exhibition. This is sufficient¬ 
ly proved by the receipts for admission, which 
reached $10,465.61. The greatest amount received 
in any previous year, was $8,144.55, taken at Syra¬ 
cuse in 1849. A heavy rain occurred on the day 
and night preceding the opening of the exhibition, 
and another on Thursday night following, which 
doubtless prevented the attendance of some who 
would otherwise have been present. The rains 
completely saturated the ground with water, which 
occasioned some inconvenience,- but as an offset to 
this, they prevented the rising of dust, which, if 
continued dry weather had prevailed, would have 
been a great annoyance. 
Much credit is due the various railroad compa¬ 
nies in this State, for the facilities they afforded the 
public in attending the fair. They all gave half- 
price tickets during the week, and carried stock 
and articles intended for competition, gratis. This 
is a liberal plan, which we believe gave entire satis¬ 
faction, and it has, also, -well rewarded the owners 
of the roads. We are sorry to say that the direc¬ 
tors of the road between this city and Boston, but 
partially adopted this plan. Had they pursued the 
same course as the New-York roads, the number of 
visitors from the East would have been greatly in¬ 
creased, and the road would have made, in the ag¬ 
gregate, a much greater amount of money. We 
presume this latter fact will not in future be over¬ 
looked by men who have the general reputation of 
shrewdness. 
Considered in reference to itself, and as a whole, 
this exhibition may be said to have fully equalled 
any former one. If, in some of the departments, a 
deficiency existed, it was amply made up by the 
fullness and richness of others. The whole number 
of entries was greater than on any former occasion. 
The number for horses was 286, cattle 475, sheep 
567. The horses and most of the cattle were sta¬ 
tioned in sheds provided for them. This shelter 
was necessary to protect them from the hot sun, to 
■which they must have been otherwise exposed. But 
in regard to the appearance of the show, it had an 
unfavorable effect, as it completely withdrew from 
observation most of the animals which usually con¬ 
stitute so prominent and attractive a feature in dis¬ 
plays of this kind. 
Ths occasion has been, generally, one of high 
gratification ,* it has afforded the means of obtaining 
much valuable information, not attainable in any 
other way, in regard to the various objects brought 
together; and the vast assemblage collected and 
dispersed without the occurrence of any accident to 
lessen their enjoyment. 
The people are beginning to look upon these ex¬ 
hibitions in their proper light. On the part of com¬ 
petitors, the principal benefit is not the taking of 
prises; it is the opportunity of bringing their ani¬ 
mals or articles prominently to the notice of thou¬ 
sands of persons to whom they would otherwise 
never be known. The objects are not only seen, 
but they are compared, and by comparison, their 
relative defects or excellencies are made apparent. 
It is in this way, only, that correct knowledge can 
be obtained. A farmer, who breeds any kind of 
live stock, can form no safe opinion of its actual 
value, without comparing it with other stock of the 
same breed. So, too, of the mechanic, in reference 
to his various productions; and in every branch of 
industry, improvement can only be estimated by 
comparison. 
Nor is the advantage of comparison of less con¬ 
sequence to purchasers than producers. In procur¬ 
ing ahorse, a cow, a yoke of oxen, or a plow or 
other implement or article, it is, of course, desired 
that it should possess the properties which would fit 
it most perfectly for the purpose to which it is to be 
applied; and by having side by side the various de¬ 
scriptions, a discriminating eye is able to select the 
best, with almost infallible certainty. These advan¬ 
tages are distinct and independent of the awards of 
premiums. The people, so far as they have the op¬ 
portunity of seeing for themselves, generally form 
their own opinions, and are but little influenced by 
the decisions of others. 
Horses. —The display of horses was hardly equal 
in respect to quality , to the shows of the two pre¬ 
ceding years; yet there were noble specimens in the 
different classes. In blood horses there was but lit¬ 
tle competition. Among those on the ground, we 
noticed the celebrated “Trustee,” the sire of the 
famous running mare “Fashion.” Though bearing 
evident marks of age, he still shows some excellent 
points. His head and eye have the striking linea¬ 
ments and expression so justly admired in the Ara¬ 
bian horse; his limbs are clean and sinewy ; the fore 
leg, in particular, is remarkable for the length of 
arm, and for the width and shortness of the shank, 
“Leopard,” an imported horse, owned by O. K. 
Lapham, of Keeseville, is an animal of much nerve 
and fire; rather tall, and somewhat light in the 
forehand for hard work and endurance, but not too 
much so for a racer. “Consternation,” now owned 
by Mr. Burnet, of Syracuse, has heretofore recieved 
the first premium in this class, and is a horse of 
well-deserved reputation. “Young Alexander,” 
owned by Mr. Ireland, has also received the first 
premium as a blood-horse, and attracted here, as on 
former occasions, much attention. 
In the class of “all work,” we noticed the well- 
known “Morse’s Grey.” Several of his progeny 
were also on the ground, which did credit to the 
sire. The young horses by the celebrated Vermont 
Black-Hawk, shown by Messrs. Felton, of Ticon- 
deroga, Breed, of Crown Point, and Bigelow, 0 t 
Bridport, Vt., were animals of fine appearance, and 
good action. 
Among “draught horses” was a stallion owned by 
Joel Young, of New Scotland, got by the imported 
horse “Sampson,” and another owned by Wm. A. 
Keese, of Keeseville, by the same sire, both of which 
were good specimens of this class of horses, as was 
also a five-year-old mare of the same stock, weigh¬ 
ing 1400 lbs, exhibited by E. Corning, Jr., of Al¬ 
bany. 
There were several pair of handsome matched 
horses. Those of Mr. Plumb, of this city, and Mr. 
Faxton, of Utica, were much admired. 
Among the young horse stock deserving particu¬ 
lar notice, was a pair of yearling geldings, owned 
by Wm. B. Seymour, of Clinton, Oneida county. 
Cattle.— There was a greater number of cattle 
exhibited, than for several previous years. The fat 
cattle were not as numerous as at Syracuse, and the 
