Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1874-06-06
.cRICUtTURAL FAIRS.

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article on Agricultural Fairs, written
by Mr. II. NJ. Addison, the Window
Fastener man, who is now in our midst.
1t will be seen that he gives his atten-
ton to various subjects, and to some
purpose, and his views are very correct
and sound on the management OF fairs.
The article was written for the Boons-
boro' Odd .reiow -
ga brief article in your paper last
week announcing the offer Of premiums
by the Washington County Agricultur-
al and Mechanical Association, of $50
for the best acre of corn, and sou Tor
the best acre Of potatoes raised IN the
county during the ensuing season, IN
duces me to write short article on the
subject of such annual exhibitions in gen
eraI, and on that particular offer.
The offer Of those premiums Is
great improvement on the common plan
of 81 for the best bushel or peck of par
ticuar crops, and 81 for the second
best. But | think this does not 90 far
enough 1t will induce two or three,
possibly more, Of your best farmers to
make extra efforts; but better plan to
call out greater general effort would be
to offer additional premiums of $50 and
| $40 for the second and third best OF
each Of those crops, and similar, if not
as large premiums, for the various other
crops.
Much greater inducements than are
commonly offered should be offered TO
the farmers wives and daughters to
bring specimens Of their skill and in
dustry in domestic affairs to such exhi-
billions. Usually ten or twenty good
housewives bring lot Of very superior
butter, and one of them will get pre-
MUM of, perhaps 81, and another
diploma, the rest nothing; though they
took quite as much pains, and perhaps
had quite as good butter-nearly so, at
least; and the same remarks hold good
in relation to many other articles Of
course they will not feel very ambitious
to try the thing over again at the next
fair Now suppose that $50, at least,
in premiums were offered for samples
of butter not less than 10 pounds, and
from ten to twenty samples were offer
ed, the best lot to have a premium OF
Is, the next best SO, the next 81 and
the balance to be divided equally among
the Others whose butter should be near
" as good as the rest-excluding, OF
course, that which was not--don't you
think it would make good show next
fair, and still better one year from
that time ? The same rule would,
think, be a good one for many other
articles, including homemade bread,
with separate premiums in some cases,
for girls under specified age; for it by
no means follows that because mothers
can make good bread and butter their
daughters can. And while suggestions
are in order | will add another.
Let liberal premiums be offered for
several, not less than five, of the best
managed farms on plan to be agreed
upon substantially as follows
1st. State the number of acres cult
waited, in such manner, and with such
articles as the owner thought best.
2nd. Total value of each kind Of pro
duce, estimated at their then current
value, and amount of land raised on.
3rd. Total cost Of their production.
4lh. Total nett profits per acre of all
the land cultivated or pastured.
OF course n detailed report of the
process of cultivation should accompany
the whole.
Such q plan would, if properly carried
out clearly demonstrate three important
facts ::
1st. Who are the best farmers in the
county estimated by general results.
2nd. What are the most profitable
crops to cultivate and kinds of stock to
raise, and how it is done.
3rd. That small farms well cultivated
are, in proportion to their size, far more
profitable to their cultivator than large
ones poorly cultivated, and hOw much
more. The result would astonish many
farmers, and be of more real benefit to
the county than all the horse racing or
fast trotting that can be got up.
County Fairs, as at present generally
managed are, to say the least of them,
Of very doubtful utility on the whole.
The small amount of money premiums,
and the diplomas for good farm stock
and produce, neither call out the best
efforts that could be made BY The many
nor properly remard such a, are made
by the fer, while the great bulk of the
money collected is offered for horse rae
ing which always brings lot of gam
blers and swindlers of every description
to the fairs, who cheat and in various
other ways do much to demoralize re-
spectacle people, and especially the
Younger ones who attend them.
The os.ensi6le object Of the scrub
races at such fairs is to improve the
stock of horses. But while the amount
of Improvement, if indeed there is any,
does not amount to much, the loss OF
useful time, to say nothing Of the ever
accompanying evils, is very great and
certain loss to the county.
What advantage is it to the great
mass of the people if some horse or
horses run or trot one mile or more, in
one. two, or five seconds less time than
was ever done before? The question
of benefit in any particular is a doubtful
one at most, while the evils resulting
directly and indirectly from that part of
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