The Grange advance., 1874-07-15

IS ssquanderlng millions. Let us hope that
steps will be promptly taken by you to
turn some of this money to noble
use.
Meanwhile let every individual who
can spare dollar of money or an arti-
Gle of food for this purpose, send it
promptly. Donations may be sent to
the undersigned chairman. who will
acknowledge their receipt and forward
them with all possible dispatch.
VIM. N. PLYMAT,
Chairman Relief Com.
H. E. MAYHEM, Sec'y of Council.
The State Fair.
We received, some little time
since, the Premium List of the
next State Agricultural Fair to be
held at St. Paul, Sept, 8, 9, 10, and II.
1874. The list is very complete, neatly
gotten up and confers credit on the
parties having the matter in charge.
There arc some evidences of progress
in the premiums offered and in the rules
governing the entries. We naturally
take a considerable interest in the
premiums offered for essays. Besides
the two premiums of twenty-five dollars
each offered by The GRANGE ADVANCE
for the best essays on the subjects of
''Wheat Raising in Minnesota" and
''Stock Raising in Minnesota we find
that the Society offer premiums for es-
says as follows:
Best essay on archaeology from any.
where, with specimens.
Best essay Oh the agricultural pro-
ductions of any county in the State.
Best essay on the geology of any
county in the State.
Each specimen in the above list must
be accompanied with written descrip-
tion of the section, town and range. and
State--if valuable by reason of it's
quantity, quality and accessibility.
Best essays on rotation of crops,
manures, implements, stock breeding.
county geology, rural adornments.
The Importance of encouraging farm
ers to write down their experiences in
the different branches of agriculture
cannot be over estimated. But we con-
fess, that we were little disappointed
to find that the committee were linn
tied to one hundred dollars for prem
iums for all these essays and thirteen
other articles. From fifty to hundred
dollars should be offered for some of the
essays alone. We were pleased with
the following conditions made by the
Linseed Oil Company of Minneapolis for
prize Of 1925 offered for the best crop
Of flax to be raised in Minnesota the
present season:
q Each farmer competing for the
premium must furnish a written state-
ment, in detail, of the kind and quality
of the soil, with the kind Of crops raised
on it for the three preceding years,
quantity of seed sown to the acre. (not
to exceed three pecks,) manner of pre-
pairing the soil, date of sowing, and
how cultivated; the time and manner
of harvesting and how taken care of.
and how threshed; and if by a ma
chine, the kind of machine. -
These conditions are sensible, and
business like, and if every exhibitor
were required to comply with similar
conditions these fairs. would. speedily
become places to which people would
go to obtain valuable information. in.
stead Of merely going to crafty their
curiosity. These statements Of the
manner in which the best results have
been reached, published in connection
with the premiums awarded, would fur
nish a fund of practical instruction in
the art of farming that would be of
more value than all the works ever
written by mere theoretical agricul-
turists. T.
Chickens Come H1osae I, H>,st.