Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1860-09-21
THE AGRICULTURAL FAIR.

THE AGRICULTURAL FAIR.
In a few words, in our last issue, we spoke
of the first days proceedings of the Four
teenth Annual Exhibition Of the Montgomery |
County Agricultural Society, which com
menced on Thursday of last week, and con-
tnued for two days. Theproceedings through
out were of more than ordinary interest, and
the vast concourse of visitors were delighted |
with everything they saw and heard.
The principal and most interesting feature
Of the first days proceedings was the presen-
tation of handsome banner, with suitable de-
vices and appropriate notices, by the ladies
of the county to the Society. This pleasing
duty was confded to Mr.. WILLIAM MOORE, of
this place, who, in appropriate and eloquent
language, in behalf of the fair daughters of
Montgomery, presented it to the Society
JOSEPH II. BRADLEY, Esq, the very excellent
and worthy President, received it for the So
eiety, and responded in an appropriate man
ner. The annual address was delivered by
Mr.. BRADLEY, after which very interesting
and instructive addresses were delivered by
IOl. MCHAlG, MT. BENJAMIN llALbONElL, ana
the Hon. GEORGE W. HUGHEs.
We avail ourselves of the report of the first
days proceedings, as published in the Ma
tional LateSligeneer, and transfer it to our CO.
lumns
The fourteenth annual Fair of the Mont
gomcry County Agricultural Society COM
menced on Thursday, the 18th instant, to CON
tinue two days. The first branch OF the bu-
siness of the day consisted in the reception of
a handsome banner, presented by the ladies of
Montgomery county to the Society. Words
to this effect were inscribed on one face, and
on the other, with appropriate devices, are
the words: q Industry the means, happiness
the result
The duty Of presentation was confided by
The ladies to Mr.. MoonE, a young gentleman
of Rockville who said g Mr. President and
Gentlemen, am deputed by the ladies to pre-
sent you on their behalf this beautiful testimo-
NAL of their high regard for the praseworthy
zeal and ability displayed by you in the cause
of agriculture They offer their humble hon.
age TO an enterprise in the ultimate success of
which they see the realization of their hopes
for the prosperity and wealth ofthe country
After eXpatiating for some time in eloquent
terms on the manifold advantages of agricul-
tural pursuits in humanizing and refining
mankind, Mr.. Moore concluded by saying:
- The ladies in presenting this banner hail
with joy the dawning for you of a successful
career, they look with bright anticipations to
the future, and bid you God speed in your
Mobile enterprise On behalf of the Socie-
ty, the recipients of the beautiful banner,
JOSEPH II. BRADLEY, ST., Esq, responded. He
expressed the high sense entertained by the
society of the distinguished present they had
received, and after remarking on the mighty
influence eXerted by the sex on the condition
and prospects of human improvement in its
every department, quoted some eloquent lines
from Tennyson explanatory of the true rela-
ton borne by woman to man. The question
having been formally put to the society, the
address of Mr.. Moore was unanimously solicit
ed for publication.
After an interval in which band of music
discoursed the harmones, the president of
the society, JOSEPH II. BRADLEY, ST.. Esq, made
his annual address. lie gave a succinct his
tory OF the society from its inception to its
present fiourishing condition. In alIusion to
the greatly improved state of agriculture in
Montgomery county, he said it had been done
by the children of the soil--the indigenous
population. In Fairfax county Virginia, he
was happy to say that Il greatly improved
agriculture was in operation, but this was due
chiefly to an immigration Of strangers from
distant States or countries. In Montgomery
whatever had been done, had been done by
Montgomerians. When he the speaker, was
aboy the best yield Of wheat in the county
was seven bushels to the acre, now the average
is twenty corn has increased in the same
proportion, and as to oats we now raise sixty
bushels. Nor had there been less improve
ment among the people themselves. Society
had greatly improved; the people were ener-
getic, enterprising, and well to do, and he
could ask, in view of the asSemblage now be-
fore him, where larger or more interesting
collection of pretty girls or active and stall
wart men could be met with, than in Mont
gomery county. Look at the other products,
at the cattle, the horses, how very superior
they now are to what they were in his early
day. In those days two carriages were about
all that would be seen on the way to church
the average now is twenty-eight besides full
proportion of ridden horses. How greatly
better, too, we now are in respect to roads
where could be seen much better road than
from Roekvillet to Poolesvillc, or one affording
more gratifying display of improved lands
on each side. Mr.. Bradley made some re-
ference to that important proposed artery of
communication between the Federal Metropo-
lis and the great West, the Metropolitan rail-
road, which he said the county could build
without any outside help. If they did il
themselves itwould be well done whereas if
done by spectators from abroad for their own
advantage it would be done in the way COM
mon to speculatons. lie had come to make
no set speech, but to confer with his friends
in comparison of the present with the past
II at the Fairs of the society they used to be
able to gather twenty-five hundred persons on
the ground they would say "what n turn
out;" but to-day the keepers at the gate had
reported that eight thousand persons had al
ready entered the grounds. Mr.. Bradley con-
cluded by saying that after an interval of mu-
sic he would introduce gentleman from the
western part of the State, from the coal
lands-Col. McKAIG, of Allegany county.
Col. McKAIG said he felt somewhat embar-
raised to find himself in the position he occu-
pied. Such positions however, sometimes
could not be avoided. He felt himself in a
ridiculous attitude, coming as a lawyer from
mining region to make an agricultural
speech without preparation. But he saw SO
many pretty faces before him that he felt al
most as if he were at home in Allegany, which
he must say he had always considered the
particular home of handsome women But
really Montgomery county was very close
upon Allegany. lie must have been widely
mistaken in some other of his notions about
Montgomery county. Such words as Cher
rings and " blackberrics had been made
use Of when Montgomery county was spoken
of, and some story about boy who had said
The did not own this land, and so he was
not SO poor as people might suppose" All
these notions must apply TO some other eoun-
~, for any body who had seen--as he had ON
his way hither-such land and such improve
ment as could be witnessed in Montgomery,
would wonder where these stories came from.
lie wished his people in Allegany could come
here and see what n beautiful country this
has come to be. lie did not express what he
felt upon the subject; in fact he was nrofnu n a.