Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1871-10-14
STATE FAIR AT ST. JoHNsBURY.

monter should take pride in our noble State
Agricultural Society, and while journalists
who are true to their calling must represent
facts and feelings us they exist il is proper
for us to say that we believe the officers and
managers of the Society meant to do for the
best, and there is every reason to think
that wherever experience has suggested OPP
portunity for improvement there will be no
hesitation in profiting by her teaching.
Norttfeld, Oct. 3, 1871.
Having taken a great interest in the late
State Fair mt st. ,Johnsbury. being instru-
mental, with the Superintendent, Mr..
Shcdd, as committee in locating it ut said
place, feel that justice has not been done it
in the various representations that have been
given it by the press; some of the papers
have spoken disparagingly of it, making it
more insignificant than most of the county
fairs. The Free Press, am told, insinuated
that it was small affair, and that Burlington
was the place to make money and st. Johns
bury to spend it, ut these annual gatherings.
The truth is, if am correctly informed we
made more money mt the late Fair than we
ever did any one year at Burlington, Rutland
or BrattlebOro, and that, too under the same
arrangements we have always had mt the
above named places. To be sure the far
mers and merchants of Caledonia County
ulu HOl It;tllZc tlEtt tIcy were ~ DlfC OF tie
State of Vermont, and hence neglected to
bring in their stock and fancy articles, sup
posing. | was told that they could not COM
pete with the celebrities from other counties,
who had for many years been successful rs
stock growers, and were sure to take the
majority of the premiums. Then there was
some little misunderstanding about the man.
ner of conducting the fair, but no more than
we have always experienced the first year in
n place. MANY Wanteu tickets that they
could run in and out of the fair with, which
in years past we found to our sorrow was
bad arrangement, us men of responsibility,
so-called, were guilty putting their tickets
through the cracks of the fence to let in 9TH
ers one man Boosting that his ticket had
worked in II dozen or more during the four
days Then the ladies in that county who
refused to exhibit in Floral Hall, had Mt their
county fairs been admitted free, but we had
no such arrangement.
We did not suppose any one would ask us
to pay them for exhibiting, for it would
amount to that. if we admitted them free
giving them premium, if the article was
mcritorious, and charging nothing, ms we
always did, for the exhibition of their fancy
goods 1t is, we think, something of Il priv
ilege to be admittedt to fair, and enjoy ''sight
seeing" shaking hands with old friends from
all parts OF the state, mt the cheap expense of
twenty-five cents II day, and stand u chance
Ol drawing II premium Oh one, tnrec or nVe
dollars, according to the value and rarity of
the article exhibited.
All that was lacking to have made the fair
successful in point of exhibition, was n little
more attention to Floral Hail. II few more of
our best horses from different parts of the
state, especially those from the stock farm
mt Shelburne, Cocmane's famous horses and
cattle from Canada, that we had reason to
expect would be present, and who | have no
doubt could be induced to exhibit another
year, if the society should see fit to go there
again.
Wishing to learn President Roots opinion
of the fair, ! made inquiry of him by letter
relative to it, and among other good things
he said in reply was the following: 1.-The
fair, IN my opinion, taken us whole was IL
success; in some departments ii was rather
meagre, but what the main things lacked in
quantity was made up in quality. The at
tendance was large to the last, and very Or
derby, and MI seemed to vie with each other
in having II good social time, which was the
best and happiest sight of I'LL to me. | think
the people in that part of the state are an in
telligent, orderly, sober and social body of
men, women and children, and il is apparent
that the more demoralizing elements of
the larger places have not crcpt in upon
them. The county people seem to have an
erroneous view of II State Fair, by never
having one in their midst before, but if they
should have it there again, we could rectify