The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1869-04-24
THE STATE FAIR.

this lhlrd Annual Exhibition Of the State
and it has doubtless become stale to many
but this will not deter US from having on
say too, with other public bores. Viii
there was much TO praise, we heard on
feature CT the management generally. an
we think very justly, condemned. It wa
the evident precedence given to horses owe
everything else, and not work horses, bu
road and racing stock. More snbStanti.
and higher premiums were given to owner
OF race and trotting stock and velocipcdiSts
to be found on the ground. Now we a.llni
that it is commemorate to encourage til,
stock men by Offering even higher pre-
NUNS than they have, but if we have t.
decide between them and the material in
terests of agriculture, we certainly woulc
chose the latter as being more worthy 0
encouragement. Take for example the
difference between the premiums offered fol
a cotton planter or cultiyator and those
offered for the different grades of horses
mentioned. The latter sums varying from
$25. to $75. with the blue ribbon, while the
former the blue or red ribbon alone, with
perhaps, what is called a diploma. The
diploma is not an ominous document, done
up on vellum in latin or greek, but a sim
pie certificate protesting to set forth the
merits of the thing awarded a prize.
This, with a piece of ribbon, is all that is
offered to an inventor who may have taxed
his brain for years and spent his last shil-
ling to devise something that will make
labor cheap and effective. However sue
cessful he may be in accomplishing this
result, and however he may tighten the
burdens of laboring thousands, yet his
genius is not rewarded half so substantially
as the man whose ideas begin at the head
and end at the tail of q horse.
The much talked of velocipedes will do
very well for children, but when great
%strapping men who could adorn an anvil or
a plough better than anything else, enter
the ring for such prizes, it becomes farsical
and does no good. 1t looks like men play
ing dolls. As a locker on we were struck
with the apparent want of interest mani
tested by the management in the agricul-
tural department. There were any number
Of implements of every conceivable descrip-
ton and variety, and up to the time of our
departure, (the 14th inst. } but a small part
of them received a practical trial of their
merits. Hence considerable dissatisfaction
was felt, at least by those in search of labor
saving machines, ..r
This much we have said, not in malice,
for we have no personal interest to subserve,
but with the view of letting our city friends
know the character of the interest we feel
in the Fair. Tt will not do to pooh-pooh
and say we are ignorant country bump
kins &c. We know that your great city, in
common with others are dependent upon
the agricultural interests of the country
and can prosper only in SO far as this inter-
is fostered and encouraged.
With oil its faults however, it was a
great success in many respects and deserves
unmeasured praise. The arrangements for
the exhibition of machinery were very fine, {
and the display of cotton gins was particu-
larly so. The needle gin attracted consid.
attention, but is said to nap the l l
cotton by those who pretend to understand 7
the subject. The sugar mill from Leeds T
Foundery attracted probably more interest T
than any thing else in the line of machinery.
We noticed it while in operation and were Z
with its simplicity. 1t is put up on
the same plan Of our ordinary machinery,
but on a smaller scale and for the small
amount Of $4,000. complete. We noticed =
several of our sugar planters examining its n
workings very critically, and heard them
express themselves well pleased. 1t is not
'ur desire, to advertise Leeds foundery nor n
ouf his mill, but we cannot, refrain from
saying to those in our parish who propose
making sugar ona small scale, that they can
10 no better than get a fac smile of the n
on exhibition at the Fair. The puro- !"
oil or gas exhibited by its inventor, cl
whose name we forget, is far superior to il
'oal oil and much safer. It costs less and Of
with the use of wicks and chin u
'eys, the pest of all housekeepers. The re
ight is equal to gas and costs the small sum d.
fone cent an hour. In this brief notice
We cannot leave unnoticed the "Octagonal =,
Buildings" for in them were contained eve II
that attracted our attention. All 81
he fine arts were there represented and b
displayed to great advantage, with the ex- 3 81
option of the paintings, which we must say Vi
ost all their attraction from the fact, that err
'e could not ascertain what those with tn
'hich we were not familiar represented. nc
.ad the design, or name of each been attach
4 to them even on a slip ofpaper, thew would th,