Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-10-30
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
The q. 8. AGRICULTURAL SocIETr's An
NuAL FAIR AT RICHMOND, VA.
rEd,foxsaI Carr, an ondeRe< L


NuAL FAIR AT RICHMOND, VA.
Editorial Corrsspendesee. J. q i
RICHMOND, VA, Ost. %, 1858.
An hour or 50 ago closed my last, only be-
cause dreading to infict too long chapter on
agriculture upon the Stars readers, at sit.
ting. - ~ = ~ -
mentioned incidentally that there are not
few lions here. Thus, we have the stereo-
typed members-management-o of the United
States Agricultural Society; real live lions in
the estimation of the throng who follow this
Society's shows wherever they are transferred,
in order to get the endorsement of the said
management, upon points in which they are
pecuniarily interested--a legion indeed The
VIrginiaps seem to vote them jackalls, rather
than lions if one may draw q reasonable con-
clusion from the tone Of the Richmond press
with reference to this Fair. But as my pur-
pose is to deduce useful lessons for the Stars
readers from what surrounds me, rather than
to decry any one, forbear to comment on the
short comings Of anything, as seen through the
spectacles of the Richmond press
Ex-Presdent Tyler, who is a real live lion, is on
the ground; and so is Caleb Cushing-another.
on Thursday; and his good natured counten-
snce lin spite of all the philosophy he mas mus
tered to enable him to prevent his face from
becoming a tell-tale upon his emotions and
thoughts so long in advance) assures me that
he means to do ample justice, as he well can
do, to the Importance of the occasion Govern
or Wise-a lion among lions even hero, at home,
as he isis also on the ground. He ia as rest
lsss-as he roves from one group of people to
another-as ever. His very last published letter
was fierce epistle to the chairman of the
Douglas Illinois State Committee, in which he
pledged himself equally to the soundness Of
the doctrine of the rights Of the people of tho
territories to legislate against slavery in them,
and to that Of the rights of Shareholders in the
several States, to tho enjoyment of all their
property rights in the territories. Like Mr..
Tittlebat Titmouse, in that emphatic letter he
proposes, as it were to do every thing for every
body; to preserve every body's rights to every
thing. As looked at him few moments ago,
| 1t struck Inc that it would be a happy thought
were he to write letter to "the dear people -
demonstrating that nothing is more feasible
than to make mahogany plank out of pine saw
dust!I'
Just now the minds of all here turn on in
dustrial themes rather than politics, and am
very sure, from the Governors countenance,
that his soul is burning for an opportunity to
discourse those surrounding him upon some
thing likely to tickle their fancy of the nonce
The theme suggest-How to make mahogany
plank out of pine saw-dust-will be by no
means a more difficult one for him to handle to
the satisfaction of intelligent practical men,
than the undertaking mentioned above. Viz !:
the task Of making it clear-as mud-that
while tho squatters in territory may at will
legally legislate against the existence of slave
~ in their midst, so also the STAKEHOLDER in q
State is entitled to entire protection of his
property under the Constitution, if taking it
into territory. As L looked on the smart
countenance of the Governor just now, and
conned over the history of his epistolary labors
OF the past two years, he seemed to me to be- of
all mortals, the very man to demonstrate be-
yond future cavil, that mahogany plank can
be made of pine saw-dust
Mr. William c. Rives, of Albemarle, another
essentially live lion, though long since
dead politician, is also here, and attracts as
much attention from the crowd as either of
the distinguished men name above. Well
ne may, On such an occasion; for,i since he
has very sensibly washed his hands of politics,
he has been one Of the most useful men in
virginia. To no other, save Governor Eloyd,
is she more indebted for the consum nation
OF her system of internal improvements, that
isl fast doubling the value of every acre of
land in her wide domain. Nor is her thrifty
agriculture moro indebted to any other, than to
Mr.. Rives, for its wonderful progress of the last
decade. I have, for years past, believed that
for the capital invested, no other agriculturists
reap more profit than the farmers of means
in Virginia, save and except the Mississippi,
Louisiana and Texas sugar and cotton planters.
Mr.. Rives, who is gentleman of wealth, has
spared no expense in making experiments
likely to benefit his brother farmers; and his
sound practical judgment and extensive infor-
nation obtained from BOOKS have enabled him to
draw more useful lessons from such experiments
as those to which 1 refer, than almost any other
one l wot of, could draw. lie is to close the per-
formances of the occasion, on Thursday or Fri
day next, and will doubtless deliver a speech
by which every farmer may profit if needing
AAS
But may not gossip of men longer, this
evening, in view of the fact that have in
hand-for such an occasion-a far more gener-
ally interesting theme-sheep
In my last 1 urged the greater profit of rails.
ing fine wool sheep, as demonstrated by the
history of sheep-culture las improperly termed
around the cattle shows) in Virginia. The fine
wool sheep are original with or indigenous to- las
itwere,) countries whose climate more nearly re-
sembles our own, than that of the country of the
long wool sheep. Thus, in the portions of Spain,
France and Germany, from whence we get the
fine wool strains, the sun shines fercely in
summer, and the cold of the winter is as in
tense, almost, as here. In England, on the con-
trary, such sudden changes of temperature and
such extremes of it as We experience are un-
known Certain it is that those changes in
Virginia destroy, in great measure, the value
OF long wool sheep to the farmer One diff
Guilty is in keeping sufficient of them in herd