The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-11-10
The Agficultural Fair.
REPORTS OF THE COMMITTEES.


The reports of committees were made to-
Col. j. II. Stevens, President of the Terri
torial and Hennepin County Agricultural
Society, as follows:
Horticulture and Field Crops.
SIR Before proceeding to the actual dis
charge of the duties devolving upon your
committee, it would seem necessary, from
the infancy of our enterprise, to first intro
duce in a proper manner, our community to
the civilized world, and then, should it seem
necessary, Ito the rest Of mankind" That
such an introduction is not entirely work
of superrogation, would appear from the fol-
lowing considerations
Bv the term community, we would be I'M
derstood to mean the population of Mime
sofa. the same being composed of those in
diyiduals who, some two, three or four years
ago. had the tenerity to leave the pleasant
hearth-stones Of the east and south, and this
too. in the face of friendly remonstrance, and
ordering their footsteps in the direction, and
having for their destination country char
acterized by these remonstrants as inhospit-
able, hyperborean in climate and verging
upon the barren grounds, over whose plains
they might wander and finally be lost in
the possessions of the. Russian bear, yet such
was the ardor of their purpose, that none of
those things moved or changed their stub
born resolves. The world is next startled at
the announcement that this lost hord is not
lost and further, that they have proceeded
to make preparations for actually celebrating
an Agricultural Fair.
To convince friends at the east and south
that their gloomy forebodings were never
realized, and to correct many false impress
sions now abroad in relation to our Terri
tory, would seem also part of the duties
assigned to your committee, and we can con-
ceive of no more ef1ectual mode of doing
this than to record some facts as they have
occurred.
That such Fair actually took place at
Minneapolis, Hennepin County, on the seven
teenth and eighteenth days of October, two
as pleasant days as ever dawned upon a
naughty world. AS evidence of this last
fact, land we suppose it will be necessary to
prove almost every fact we may be called to
state, we would note that the temperature
of the night intervening these two days, was
such that had the finest specimens of green
house plants and flowers been exposed on
out door stands, the injury would not have
been perceptible. But having done what we
could to make the occasion one of interest to
others, it became doubly SO to us. The first
executive officer of the Territory, the Metro
politan journalists and members of the
learned professions, together with some two
or three thousand citizens from different
parts gave their countenance to the occasion,
and seemed to vie with each other in en-
deavoring to clothe our infant enterprise,
with m ORE than ordinary interest.
Your committee would deem it important
to chronicle the fact, that some parts Of our
Territory have been called to experience the
effects of a severe drought, which has told
heavily on some departments of our exhibi-
ton. In some parts of the Territory the
effects were partially felt, while it fell most
heavily on the Counties of Benton, Henne-
pin, and parts of Ramsey; yet, with the ex-
ception of Benton County, these localities
furnished the NEST numerous and interesting
features of the exhibition.
We would here call attention to one of the
important features of the soil Of Minnesota,
that of withstanding drought. Let it be re-
collected that the SHOWS of last winter
melted, and their waters passed off while the
ground was still frozen, and that little or no
rain fell until the last of June, we may Won
der at the magnitude of our exhibition, and
take heart for the future. We venture to
predict that, subject to such influences as our
farmers contcnded with in May and June
last, there is not an acre of ground in the
State Of Ohio, where seeds of any descrip-
ton could have vegetated. Under such ad-
verse influences, therefore, we may wonder
that crop of wheat should be thought of :;
yet Mr.. John Mann, the most extensive
operator in t!ireshing, assures us that the
average yield would be from fifteen to twenty
bushels per acre. We regretted to find but
one specimen of winter wheat on exhibition.
that of Judge Basset's. Far otherwise was
it in the department of Indian corn, which
now and ever must lie regarded on this con-
tinent, as the most important member of the
great cereal family. We were extremely
gratified to find it so we'll represented on this
occasion. Some fourteen specimens were
upon the tables, although few were exhibited
as varieties. The finest specimen variety on
exhibition was adjudged to be the Ohio
yellow dent, by N. E. Stoddard. and grown
upon his farm at the Island Lakes-estima,-
ed yield 50 bushels per acre. This variety
is recommended for general culture. Fine
specimens Of tie red cob dent was exhibited
by Mcssrs. Jenkins, Harmon, Rev. Mr.. Dow,
Plummer, and Larpenteur. Mr.. jenkins was
adjudged to have offered the best specimen
and is here recommended, when early plant
ing is practicable, as furnishing the greatest
yield. Mr.. Jenkins yield was certified to
exceed 80 bushels per acre.
Isaac Wales fine dent was a fine specimen
of perfectly ripened corn, as was also Mr..
Hartwell's North River yellow flint, which
should ever be retained for re-planting.
A superb specimen of silver grey buck
wheat, and sample Of white rye, by JAS
Shaver, Jr., of Minnctonka, attracted great
attention. The yield of the former was GER
titled to be twenty-five bushels from one
peck; that of the latter equal to forty-eight
bushels for one, clearly demonstrating their
happy adaptation to our soil and climate.
The Potato, from its important assistance
in ministering to the wants of man, would
seem next to claim our attention. Alike in
digenous to the western continent with Indi-
an corn, yet unlike the latter, where the
cultivation must ever he mainly confined. the
potato has travelled to every locality of civil
ization on the globe, if we except tropical
climates; yet nowhere, perhaps, has this no.
bic esculent found So perfect a type of ali
ment as the soils and atmospheric influences
Of Minnesota furnish. 1t would seem that
its importance can be scarcely ever estimated.
whether we consider it as an article of food.
or its adaptation to fattcn stock, when we
take into consideration its prolific powers
The specimen variety and statement of Cha's