The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-11-17
DAILY PRESS.
CORTLAND =
Wednesday Morning, November IT, 1869.
Virginia State Fair.

Virginia State Fair.
RICHMOND, Va, Nov. 12, 1889.
To the Editor Of he Press;
The Virginians are highly jubiant over
their State Fair, which was held last week 10
this city. Your correspondent was present,
and he~will proceed to give fair outline of
the exhibition, that your readers may know
what progress these people have made In the
four years that have elapsed since the close
of the war.
The Fair grounds, which are located OH the
Fredericksburg Railroad, about two miles
from the city, are very spacious, and near the
middle is grove of locust trees, in the vicu-
ity of which is large two-story building with
verandahs extending all around both stories,
within which were exhibited the products of
the field and the garden, the oven Of the good
housewife and the dairy of the gentle milk
maid. Near this building is another smaller
one, in which are the offices of the Virginia
Agricultural and Pathological Society; and
in the same neighborhood still another build
ing, devoted to the. fine arts. The sheds for
horses and cattle are extensive and substan-
tial structures. On the grounds there Is
good mile track for races. The whole prem
ises are admirably adapted to the uses for
which they have been set apart.
In the products of the land the orchard
took the lead. doubt If an equally good
display of apples was ever made at any fair
in the United States, in respect to size and
appearance of the fruit. But the fruit show
was exhausted with the apples. There were
a very few pears on the table, and not grape
worth mentioning, except hot-house grapes.
All the garden vegetables were represented by
a very few samples. Any New England town
fair would make a far better show.
1t would not be easy to beat the show Of
horses exhibited on this occasion. The num-
Der was large and there were many animals
of great beauty, though none exhibited re-
markable speed. scarcely one in all the races
doing as well as 2:40.
The show of cattle was wonderfully mea-
gre, though there were few representatives
of the best breeds. The same may be said
of sheep. The best varieties of poultry were
represented, but in such close boxes that they
could not be seen well.
A hog-raser from West Chester, Penn,
made fine show of the Chester breed;
sow weighing 1000 lbs. and with her an ex-
extensive family Of pigs.
In the department of manufactures vir-
ginia has little to boast Of Two weolen fac
tories exhibited their fabrics; one known az
the Charlottesville Woollen Mills, the other
located in Prince William county and run by
Hudson & Co. This latter concern informs
the Southern public that New York mer-
chant has written them that when their goods
are fairly introduced into the New York mar
kets, merchants will buy no other. This Is
the way Virginia will be revenged on the
North for breaking down the business of
breeding and selling slaves; they will glut the
New York market with woolen goods from
Prince William county, and shut up all the
factories in New England!
The reader will probably smile at this state
ment; but let me assure him that there are
thousands Of white people in this State who
are pleasing themselves with the idea that the
factories which are to be built in Virginia will
by-and-by stop every loom and spindle in New
England. The masses here are just as igno-
rant OF the great wealth of New England and
of the vast products of its various manuiac-
turing establishments as is the most solid ne
gro. This State is the home of profound ig.
norance.
The newest products of handicraft that
noticed were cedar pals and cern brooms;
both equal in excellence to the best Massa-
chuse:ts broom or pail.
The specimens Of household manufacture,
were highly creditable to the ladies'; though
there was among them nothing noteworthy
except perhaps the bread. They have the
finest OF wheat here, and the very bes. of
bread.
The store-keepers of Richmond found the
large building have spoken of good place
to display their goods; many OF the articles
not being even the production of the United
States, much less of Virginia. The iact is
Virginia was SO long and SO prohtaby ensas-
ed in producing slaves, that she doesn't take
kindly to any other sort OF business. Shs has
NV sSe ASSONSiSu ikOA VIC SAhoaSthu5 CAOA W
she made to protect aud perpetuate the pecu-
liar institution. She has been in the suiks
Tor the last four years, and is not as yet i'll the
humor to engage in any new occupation.
l have spoken of the Fine Arts building.
The walls were covered with the work of ma
tive artists. Of these productions l can safs-
ly say that many OF them were superior to the
Illustrations of the William Henry letters,
which the reader will find in the November
number (ls69) of sour Young Folks"
There was full assortment of the best az
ricutural implements; but with perhaps a
single exception, none of Virginia invention.
This exception was machine for separating
peanuts from the vine, an invention OF Nor
folk clergyman and of great utility in certain
sections of Virginia. 1t does its work ad-
mirably aud is a most labor-saving machine.
In summing up the whole thing can say,
that the Fair would compare favorably with an
ordinary county Fair at the north. But hear
the Richmond Dispatch on the subject.
Speaking of the Fair it says 1--WE have ad-
vanced slowly towards iull appreciation OF
its magnitude. The wave has swept on bs
fore us, until at last we have been thrown by
the force of the great sea, to its height and
have a full perception of Its grandeur" Isn't
that splendid? The Dispatch proceeds to
say" SO great fair has never before been
held here" Unquestionably never have %
many people assembled at Fair in Richmond
on the first day, all the Hotels were filed to
overflowing and those who arrived on the
second day had no little difficulty in finding
shelter. On the second and third days there
must have been 10000 people on the ground,
at the hour of the races.
Speaking of the races there was no regula-
tion in regard to the track. Between the
heats men in gigs with fast nags drove in
opposite directions, and in one instance there
was violent collision which happily did not
break any bones, but made an armfui oil
kindling wood. Thousands of people sIood
on the track, inside the railing, and as soon
as the horses passed, they rushed III ana
filled the track from side to side
The people of Richmond are proud ofa
larer beer brewery which perches on the bank
oftbe James, at the lower end of the city.
The managers of the Fair awarded medal
to the Proprietor and were somewhat puzzled
to fix on device. Instead of paying the
brewer In Dutch, they gave it to him in Latin
hIyc Qia q. AL~k hAfr