FLOWERS AT THE FAIRS. 
Perhaps it would not be far from the truth to say that a million of people attend our State 
Fairs. These exhibitions must, therefore, exert a great influence for good or evil, and be, in a 
large degree, educators of the people. As we have attended many of our State Fairs, and 
some of them several times, we have had a good opportunity to observe the few things which we 
could not approve, nor have we been slow to note the many things worthy of approval. 
There are evils incidental to large crowds which no efforts of the managers can wholly over¬ 
come, and the management are only responsible for those which they encourage, even if they do 
not approve. Where officers, however, permit disgusting side-shows and gambling under various 
specious forms and deceptive names, they are responsible for the evils which invariably flow 
from these causes. If prizes are offered for fast trotting or running, the society is responsible for 
die ever-attendant betting, even though they may baptize their race a “ Trial of Speed f or give 
it any other fancy and deceptive name. It is well to improve our fowls and sheep and horses, 
and plows and harrows and wagons, but there is no improvement so much needed, none so 
important to the welfare and glory of our country, as the improvement of boys and girls and men 
and women. And, no matter what a society may do for the improvement of animals and imple¬ 
ments and grain, if it depraves the people it is a curse and not a blessing. 
Our old friend, the Editor of the Rural New-Yorker, attended the late show of the New 
York State Fair, and in writing to his paper, gave some notes on the improvement of the various 
departments since he attended the first State Fair at Elmira, more than twenty years ago, but the 
greatest and most satisfactory improvement of all was in the people. I hey were neater in 
appearance, quiter and more genteel in their bearing, and showed a better appreciation of articles 
of real merit. All this we most heartily endorse; and here we may be permitted to say, that 
though we have scarcely failed to attend one exhibition given by this Society in thirty years, we 
have never seen anything in its management calling for censure. It has never once endeavored 
to collect the vulgar crowd by any clap-trap. We can say the same of many other State Societies, 
and before long hope to be able to approve of the actions of all. 
It will be seen by the heading of this article that we started to say something about Flowers at 
our Fairs, but have almost used up our page without getting at the subject. We thought nothing 
would do more to educate and refine the people than a grand exhibition of Flowers at our Fairs. 
How to encourage the culture of flowers and induce growers to exhibit them, became, for a time, 
a subject of anxious thought. We examined all the Premium Lists we could obtain, and found 
that while large prizes were offered for almost everything imaginable, the prizes for Flowers were 
generally insignificant. From one to five dollars was considered a fair price for the best collec¬ 
tion of Cut Flowers, or for the best collection of Plants. We saw at once that the first thing to 
be done was to show an appreciation of flowers by offering larger prizes, such as would induce a 
few to grow and exhibit them, and that these would soon have many imitators. The trouble 
seemed to be to reach the officers of the .Societies and cause them to see the subject as we did. 
Despairing of this, several years ago we authorized the officers of every State Society in the 
country to offer large prizes in our behalf. To encourage all, and disappoint as few as possible, 
we offered, last year, in every State and Territory in the Union, and all the Provinces of Canada, 
$ 20.00 for the best collection of Cut Flowers; $10.00 for the second best; $5.00 for third best; 
and one of our Floral Chromos for the fourth best. We have already paid Premiums to 
more than a hundred persons to whom they were awarded. The reports from the officers 
generally have been— “ We never before had such an exhibition of Flowers in our State.” We 
feel that we have been spending a little money to bless the people, and that it has been well spent. 
In this way we benefited the State Fairs, but how to reach the Counties we could hardly devise. 
There are more than five thousand Counties, and we could not offer a large prize to all. Where 
there is a will, however, there is usually a way, and so we offered one of our Flower Chromos as 
a prize for the best collection of Cut Flowers, to every County on the Continent, and we are now 
sending out these prizes by the hundred. We have faith in the good time coming, and design to 
do all we can to “ hurry it up.” 
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