ANNUAL EXHIBITION—AWARDS. 
163 
tampering with judges, and cut off all attempts to secure pledges in advance 
for premiums on competing articles in favor of interested parties. The 
great end and object of these public fairs should be to reward and encourage 
real merit, regardless of persons or favors, and every exhibitor should be 
entitled to a full exhibition and a candid award. Evf;ry machine should be 
subjected to a practical test in the presence ol the judges, if possible. As 
this is not possible in all cases, it subjects the awards of judges to much 
criticism ; perhaps in some cases justly, for no mao, however learned in the 
general art or profession, can properly judge of the practical, operative 
merits of two or more machines, each differing somewhat from the other, 
by a mere casual looking over of inert parts. Perhaps there is no remedy 
to reach this difficulty, except it should be to select judges to meet at ap¬ 
pointed times and places, after due notice to all competitors, and witness 
the actual trial of each machine in the proper season, and to report their 
decision at the next annual fair. Drills and broadcasters, plows, harrows, 
etc., could be tested and their merits truly ascertained, each in its season, 
and at the same time and place. Likewise reapers, harvesters, binders, 
mowers, bay rakes and loaders, etc., could be examined and their practical 
merits compared on the same day and at the same place, while threshers, 
potato-diggers, bog-cutters, meadow-eveners, stump-extractors, corn-huskers, 
etc., might be subjected to a like test in their proper season. This would 
in'^olve a division of agricultural implements into three classes, according 
to their seasons of use—spring, summer and fall—with, perhaps, a “misceila" 
neous” class, that it would be only practical to examine on the days of 
the fair. It would divide the labor of the judges, and give them better op, 
portunities to examine well and judge fairly. With all those multifarious iro, 
plements in one class no one committee is equal to the test. 
Our peonle are no exception to the general rule that has governed the 
world in all ages—they are fond of contests. The Grecian orators had their 
intellectual contests in the forum, the Roman gladiators measured their 
physical strength in the colosseum, while the Yankee universal genius is 
ever ready to test his skill and enterprise in field or workshop with the whole 
world as competitors. 
These tri-annual exhibitions, located in different portions of the state, 
under the official sanction of the state agricultural society, while they need 
cost but a trifle, if anything, it seems would stimulate a spirit of rivalry that 
could not fail to be of lasting benefit to both the agriculturist and manu¬ 
facturer. 
The great and annually increasing exhibition of agricultural implements, 
overshadowing the representative implements of all other branches of 
industry, tell the tale, that agriculture is the basis of our national wealth ; and 
yet it needs no argument to prove that agriculture receives the least remu¬ 
neration in proportion to the labor performed. Hence, the more justice and 
policy in offering every species of encouragement consistant with our means 
and opportunity. 
