Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-08-05
special Correspondence of the Worcester Spy
THINGS IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Implements and Animdls-BritiSh Ladies at
these Fairs-Politics and the Peace-A Gus
- tcmary Mania of John BuN-Infuence Of MI
itd'y and Narat Officers IN Parliament.
LONDON, July %, 1850.
The annual fair of the Royal Agricultural
Society was held at Warwick from the 18th to
the 10th of this month We arrived on the
18th, and passing from the railroad station to
the show ground, through the streets, found
all "Warrick" in a blaze of glory. Flags and
streamers were suspended everywhere, and
garlands adorned the buildings, from the hum
blest old cottage to the most lordly palace.
We were much struck, not only by the very
extensive preparations made by the Society
for the exhibition, but the excellence Of all the
arrangements, and the perfect system and or
der which everywhere prevailed. As an Illus
pation OF the attention paid to the minutest
wants of the exhibitors and the public, L may
mention that pipes were laid over the whole
ground, tor the purpose of conveying water to
all parts, for The use of the engines employed
in exhibiting the implements, and for the use
of the animals
The cost of such preparations, of course,
must have been immense but everything was
done in the best possible manner, and then,
those who dance must pay the piper" So,
for the first two days the charge for entrance,
only, was seven shillings, or 81 rs, and as cat
alogues must be had, fifty cents more were re-
CURED for them. And then, too, with charac-
teristic English notions, after the first two
days-wheu the higher classes had had their
chance at the exhibition-the entrance fee was
reduced to shilling. AS we went in during
the high tariff, we saw but few persons except
those of the higher ranks.
All the implements, of which there were
several acres, were under canvas sheds, as were
also the animals of every kind. 1t was said
that these sheds extended, in the aggregate,
eleven miles; for this we cannot vouch, though
we are not disposed to question it, as the area
they occupied was very great.
The show of implements surprised me
greatly. was not aware to what an extent
invention had been carried in agricultural tools
and machines. great variety of different
kinds of reaping and moving machines were
present, as well as machines for blowing
threshing, seedsowing, hay .cutting, rootcut-
ting, &c 1t would be quite impossible to give
any idea of all these, but it seemed to me that
in general they were far too complicated for
general use. In fact, l learned that they
are, to great extent, experimental
got up by the inventors and manutac-
in boro Of hi
wants of the farmers. There can be no rea-
sonable doubt that the time has now come
when machinery is to be more extensively in.
troduced into agricultural operations than was
dreamed Of twenty years ago. A vast amount
of talent and capital is now engaged in the
production of these various machines and i'm
pementS-; and ultimate and complete success
seems reasonably certain When that is OBJ
tanned great industrial revolution will have
been effected, for steam will to a great extent
supersede muscular labor. | should think
there were at least one hundred portable steam
engines on the ground, employed in various
ways This department of the exhibition in.
cluded great variety of articles used in the
house, as well as on the land, and the extent
OF the whole may be judged of by the fact that
my catalogue covers nearly four hundred and
iitty pages, and includes perhaps ten thousand
articles.
The stock exhibition was to me very grand
one, and was regarded by those accustomed to
such exhibitions here as very creditabe Such
a display Of magnificent animals never saw
any approach to in America. For size, beauty
and condition; for perfection in all that goes
to make up the beau ideal of fine cattle, i am
sure nothing in this world could exceed the an
lG har hrnyr ,t tN,r
all parts Of the United Kingdom, and the
choicest specimens of course The Prince
Consort, as the English now call Prince AL
bert, contributed largely in several depart
ments.
What made the exhibition so particularly
interesting to me was the large number of
specimens of each of the different breeds 1t
afforded an excellent opportunity for compari.
son. Herefords, Devons, Alderneys, Scotch,
long-horned and short-horned Durhams from
the stalwart bulls and cows down to yearlings,
there was an almost endless variety I did
wish, while looking at these admirable animals,
that some of our Worcester county farmers
could just take a peep at them our Barre
friends, for example, who are particularly and
justly famed for their excellent stock | am
quite sure that our climate, or our feed. or
both, are not well adapted to the raising ofneat
cattle. Our animals do not have that fullness
and perfection of form so universal here At
ter such examinations and comparisons as |
would make, and, after all that has been said and
written in favor of other breeds, am inclined
to think that we have not made any mistaken
introducing the short-horned Durhams. They
made an admirable show at this exhibition,
and, take them all in all, | suspect they are as
well adapted to our purposes as any other
breed
Of sheep there was great display, and of
a size and quality unknown to us. The sheep
seem to flourish here, and are cared for in the
best possible manner They abound in all
parts Of the kingdom, and are found in the
small as well as large enclosures.
The show of horses was confined almost ex-
clusiyely to those used for draft but of these
there was an extensive and very striking col
lection.
The first premium for stations for agricul-
tural purposes, was awarded to English Clio
ry, a most magnificent animal weighing 1885
lbs. There were many others weighing near
ly or quite as much. Many of these were not
only animals of immense strength, but of
great perfection, beauty and grandeur of form
But the swine, of which great numbers of
every breed were in the pens, were as distin-
gulshed for their great size and excellence as
any other class. / looked at them with aston
ishment, and for the most part without any
desire that we should compete in the raising of
such monsters for monsters they were-so
long, SO tat as to be absolutely disgusting
One old fellow on exhibition was so overhead
ed IN driving that, after some hours of great
suffering, he actually died, much to the cha
grim OF his owner, and to his loss, perhaps, too,
for his weight was over 1900 lbs
But not to dwell longer on particulars, the
display throughout was a grand one, and the
opportunity it afforded me of seeing what