The Portland daily press., 1872-09-20
The State Fair.

The State Fair began its exhibition Tuesday
with prospects not the most fattering the
weather the first day being anything but prom
Using and the attendance consequently quite
small. Wednesday, however, was Il better day
and the people poured in from all sections
There must have been at least 6000 present
Tuesday afternoon ON the grounds, which does
not include those attending the departments in
Norombega and City Halls. If the weather
continues favorable there will be still larger
attendance the remaining days, so that the ex-
hibition will prove financial success.
THE GROUNDS, ETC.
The Bangor Park is one of the best in the
State and the committee have made good ar.
rangements for the care of stock and the COM
fort of the people. The admission is fifty cents
a day provided you stay ON the ground all day
and ten cents for a seat extra. You are well
come to all you can get for your fifty cents
You may amuse yourself sauntering up and
down, listening to the stale jokes of dozen
venders OF nostrums, or in buying envelopes
containing pinchbeck jewelry, at dollar a
choice, and other similar sugar coated gambling,
or you may, if hunger presses hard, quickly
eating booths where all kinds of square meals
are advertised. Under large tent there is an
extensive display of moving, planting sowing
and other patent machines. Inoticed stump
ing machine there, which I recommend to
our Greeley friends out of the State, who are
anxious to do anything to beat Grant In this
department I found fine variety of ploughs
exhibited by Isaiah Frye of Portland, also sam
pies Stockwell & True's justly celebrated drain
pipes. Allan Colby of Brunswick, exhibited
Howand's derrick for loading cars, and an in
genious invention called a ''crab,'' for moving
buildings Mr.. Colby manufactures both of
these machines at Brunswick. There was,
however, a notable absence of farm imple-
ments and machinery manufactured in Maine
1t is too bad, when we are really turning out
every year large variety of the best farm inn
plements made in the country. There were but
three or four carriages on exhibition, and those
from Bangor, and very good specimens they
were le IE# ht -s+-
Should L venture a remark in this connection,
would say that this department of the fair
rival moving machines and to the inventors of
curious machines for planting potatoes, max
ing cider, hoeing gardens, etc., etc.
THE STOCK EXHIBITION
If the display of horses was not so large as
on former occasions the deficiency of numbers
was more than remedied by the fine quality.
This was particularly true of the colts. In this
respect there has been a marked change during
the past ten years, the increased demand for
''fne steppers'' having had a tendency to turn
the attention of horse breeders to this sort OF
fancy stock. + =. Fl flII-
The display of neat stock was full and varied.
There were fine specimens of Short Horns,
Herefords, Ayreshires and Jerseys. The Ken
nebec section of the State was largely repre-
sented in this department. AS for sheep, have
seen better displays at many county shows.
The exhibition of poultry is very large, EN-
bracing many of the fancy birds. 1 looked in
vain for a liberal bird' similar to the cut
given in the PRESS after the Republican vic
tories. lt
-. THE TURF.
The purely agricultural horse trotting is ali
the rage. 1t draws the crowd and commands a
large part of the premiums. In this great
moral department of the Maine State Fair, 1
find about the usual characteristics. I grieve
to add that there is the same joekeying, the
same attempts at gouging that have been prac-
tised for years. The leading men are those
familiar to any person who has attended our
race courses They are not men of an agricul-
tural turn, but are of such a character as to be
styled by one of the judges, ''the guerillas of
the turf" Besides this lamentable feature of
fba ~; +1ot bo
censured-there was by the sanction of the
Society's officers, the usual gambling called
pool selling. Now all this may be right and
proper but 1 can't believe that State that has
stringent laws against gambling and lotteries
can afford to tax the people to appropriate
money to encourage this demoralizing practice.
.- MANUFACTURES.
Norombega Hall has been set apart for manu-
factures. One thing is certain, either the hall
is too large or the show is too small. There is
the usual display of worsted nothings and those
fearfully and wonderfully wrought fabrics of
the crotchet needle. Many of these are said to
be of the rarest quality, but Of home made
fabrics of wool and cotton, of the products of
our hundreds of woolen and cotton mills. Of
our machine shops and other shops there are
few samples indeed. Indeed, it may be said
that in this respcct-the most important of all
the Fair is failure. Archibald Linn of
Hartland, who has built up splendid industry
in the manufacture of woolen shawls, has
table devoted to his goods-than
which none better go into the market,
whether from this or other Countries
Beyond these beautiful samples of skill there
was but one contribution by our factories
from the Pittsfeld Woolen Mill. The Dole
Brothers of Bangor, contributed some of the
finest furniture have ever seen in Maine. A
few other parties have contributed harnesses,
boots, ETC., etc., but beyond this and few sam
pies of wooden homemade cloths and hosiery,
there is absolutely nothing. Thus that part of
the exhibition which is most important to
Maine people, because the State is now turning
her attention to manufactures, is little less
than a miserable failure. / know that others,
by long lists of entries, will attempt to show
otherwise, but am giving facts and the fact is
as have stated.
VEGETABLES, ETC.
There is fair display of vegetables in Con-
cert Hail. but there is nothing that may not be
found in the commonest town show, both in
respect to quality and variety.
FRUIT AND FLOWERS, ETC.
ba axb;b;t;op r. frn;t and foWera ia the