356 
Annual Report of the 
ard. Many visitors expressed disappointment at this lack. We 
have the promise of more next year. 
Water fowls were very fine, and some of rare excellence and re¬ 
ceived merited attention. 
It must be borne in mind that none of the birds were in good 
feather, the season being too early, consequently the difficulty of se¬ 
curing good looking birds is very greatly enhanced. 
I am happy to say that there was not the slightest discontent 
manifested at the awards of the committee, nor was there any at¬ 
tempt to influence their decisions. 
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. 
BY DR. G. L. MARTIN, SUPERINTENDENT. 
I regret to say that the exhibition in this department was not 
quite up to former years. In cereals we had a fine display. Messrs. 
P. Putnam and D. T. Pilgrim, as usual, were there competing for 
everything, from excellent wheat to a magnificent pumpkin. This 
is as it should be. Such men deserve success and they usually at¬ 
tain it. 
With pleasure we noticed our old friends G. S. Haskell of Rock¬ 
ford, Ill., and John Ferry, Superintendent of the University Ex¬ 
perimental Farm at Madison, each showing most excellent field and 
garden seeds. Such fine exhibits give tone and credit to this de¬ 
partment. This fine display of seeds reminds me that farmers and 
gardeners as well, do not take sufficient pains to improve their 
crops by judicious selections of the purest and best seed. One 
should always remember that the tendency in all seeds is to deterio¬ 
rate and return to their wild state. Only by good cultivation and 
selecting the best each year, can they be improved. Few appre¬ 
ciate the fact that the quality of the seed has much to do with the 
amount, quality, and value of the crop. 
The dryness and extreme heat of the last season seriously injured 
the vegetables, yet the exhibition was good. The show of vegeta¬ 
bles was not as good from the farm as from the market-garden, 
showing that where a crop is made a speciality, better products and 
