Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-09-22
Correspondence Of the Free Press and Times
From St. Johnsbury.
The State Why it ras moi more sui
cssslal.-The Viiisge o. 81 'onnS0"'
The ne,p Town Li6rdry, etc., etc.


The nep Topn Library, etc., etc.
ST. JoHssBuRY. Sept 10, 1911
1t is agreed on all hands that the ots'e AT
mas no. eqaalled expectations II has drawn ~
immense crowd of people /; but it is a siiH
exhibition of the agricultural enterprise anu in-
lus,rv Of the State The total number OF entries
is 400, or less than half the total Of the last
Fair in Burlington. The receipts will barely equai
the expenses and pay the premiums ou' II 'n'
society can thus come out without loss' 1t Is
only because for want of entries the iuii INV -
premiums is not paid. Had sill the premiums
offered been called Cor, this Far Wouii DC an
additional illustration Of the now familiar sdsge
that the State Society goes to Burlington 10
make money, and goes elsewhere to speni IT,
The result, illustrates also the fact that the
success Of the State fair depends as mu'H u
more on the locality where it is held as on the
the State at large. The State Fair, OF coaise'
draw. objects from various psr" CT 'ne ''N'''
but if the county where it is held Can not VI
will not take hold with interest, the show WILL
as general thing, be failure nov OAle-
donia County holds very interesting ana cre''-
table fairs of it's own. The County Society Is
well sustained, and the county fairs, as they tell
me, and as do not doubt, commonly surPsss
this State fair
There are various reasons for this Ihefe
does not seem to have been much concert OF ac-
ton between the managers of the County Society
and those of the State Society The county
people find fault with what they consider some
excessive ex.c,ions Of the State Society They
COMPLAIN of lack of system, and want OF IN
formation Is to arrangements &c, They COM
Main because the Stste Society has sdmitted
Canadian exhibitors to the competition loE lie
nremiums and in this case certainly such ad
mission has worked badly. A few miles north
of here, across the line, is the famous stock iAr
Of Mr.. Cochran, of Compton, P. Q, perhaps Inc
most noted and extensive rLssr OF oloode1 Cd.
re on the continent. 1t was known thst Alr.
Cochran was to be an exhibitor Of his Stock
and it was currently reported that he was
going to make very extensive display winch
would throw all the Vermouters into the shade
Not pleased with this prospect, the stockgro"eis
Of this county, and Of this side Of the State, KEPT
their cattle st home. They give as an adiltonsi
reason the facts, that owing to the dry season.
the cattle are not looking well and that the
farmers DO not like the requirement Of the STATE
Society that stock shall remain four days on e1-
bibition. they having been used, at the County
Fairs to keep their animals on show for t'ro days
only. The result Of all is that while there has
been An interesting show Of cattle, and one OF
very high average of merit, j. is BY no means
a show of what the STATE is doing, or Of Whist
this part Of the State is doing in the way OF fine
cattle. Take away the stock that is here from
Cbitteudsn and Lamoille counties, and from
Canada. and there would be taken not only the
best. but the 5igyest part Of the show-and this
in face of the acknowledged fact that no part OF
the State can surps,s Caledonia County in oxen,
superior grade stock. fat cattle and horses
This is not fruit region, and it is not sur
nrisinr that there was bu- a sman display Of
fruit The few vegetables exhibited. the chief
exhibitor being the gardener Of Hon. Horace Fair
banks. we're Of noticeable excellence. There
WAS also small, bu: choice and beautiful Is
play Of flowers, mainly from the glrisas aai
green houses Of Nesssrs Fairbanks.
The absence Of Fairbanks scales from the ezh'-
hilton has been noticed. Nobody who knows the
,o,le. or the makers thereof, will suppose that
this vas owing to any fear Of unfsvorao.e coa-
p,risoa by the SIDE Of scsles Of other makers or
want Of public spirit on the par; Of Nes'Ts Far
banks. The facts are. l believe, that when
they came to look over their stock, las week.
with =, view TO selecting some scales for e1-
bibition, they found that recent orders had 50
diminished the supply on hand that the7 should
a. bs.. be sble to make but partial display Of
the various styles, and could only 30 that at
considerable inconvenience. Rather than to
make an inaieluste exhibition Of the proiu'-
tons Of their jmmelse shops they chose TO
mske none. s. the only scales At the Fair we're
Uowes. Of which there was full aud very fine
display.
The list Of premiums will show the more
meritorious exhibitors in the various depsrt-
mepts and clssses, and will not 60 into any
comparisons nay say, however, that hear
that the Judges on stations had god deal oil
difficulty in reaching decision, the five or
six best. Of tie ,h;rty-dve horses entered in that
class. being Of such uniform degree Of excellence
that it was hard to say which should be first snd
which second.
A there have been no State conventions this
summer, aud the Legislature is not likely 10 he
called together, it would not h,ye been surprising
If a good many Of our public men aud politicians
had collected at the State Fair. to look the polt
icsl situation over but such was not the case
Neither the Governor nor Lieut.. Governor MOI
aav Of cur Senstors and Representatives
Washington. except Judge Poland, whose hom
is here, have been present, and If any A.
pirants FOR future political honors are here. thel
are few snd quiet Among the prominen
citizens Of the State, on the ground, motto
Generals Stannard and Foster, Hon. Geo. i
Merrill, who though be has left the State, re
t.ins his interest in Vermont sfAirs, as well a.
his love for good and fsst horse, and Hon
joseph Poland Of Montpelier. Ex-Governo
John B. Page, who has been recalled from HI
foreign tour by business, for few weeks, wa
here one day but iid rot remain. lie sail
again for Europe, soon.
The m.rshsl Of the Fair Was Col. n. P. Bow
man. formerly of Chitteuden county, and yer
competent one, need hardly say and he SCENE
to have some very capable assistants in Nh
Fletcher, son Of CJl. Frederick Fletcher
formerly Of Sbel5urn. and Msjor Bonett, all
St. Johnsbury. must not omit, before leavin
the subject of the Fair, to say that themusic D
the St. Johusbury band was particularly goo'
Their leader has evidently discarded the con
mon theory Of a country band, that the duty {
each member is to get the most noise possible out
brass and human bellows, and that the one Wh
gets through first rs the bes; fellow, and the
play with taste and expression altogether com
mendabe.
ST. JoHssBURY VILLAGE.
But if the State Fair is not sill each visitor
fancy may have painted it, the visit to this 'hri'
ing and beautiful village is itself worth comm
for. 1t shows abundant marks Of healthy growth
New streets are opening, and new building
rising here and there. Many of the private REF
licences show noticeable taste in their construe
ton snd surroundings, and no village of it's sll
in our State shows as many marks Of WIS
and thoughtful public spirit. note these IN II
excellent school houses, in its soldiers monument
erected at ccst of ten thousand dollars to tn
memory of the brave St Johnsbury boys, {
whom so many fell in the war in its tasteiu
cemetery: in its court house, with the oes
courtroom in the State, till the new Chlttende
County court house is completed in the spa