Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-09-15

From our special correspondent. J
EqtteE from Saratoga.
SARATOGA, New York,

l went ont 10 the Nlen MNcnell
Driving Park this afternoon, it being
the first day Of the Saratoga County
Fair. | went around on the track so
as to oct an inside and outside view
at the same time. On ana about the
grounds there might have been a h IN
dred persons, not more. When we
commenced our walk around the track
a rooster WAS growing off to the right
and an old hen was cackling which
was all the music there was on the
ground. About twenty of the cattle
pens were occupied, and perhaps a
dozen OF the horse stalls had horses in
them. There were about a dozen
horse rakes and other farming impls
ments packed on the ground inside Of
the track. and some nice carriages
were under cover out side. The pop
corn man had pitched his tent, and
the soda man had erected his tempo
rary cabin and was dispensing his
drinks, not to the thirsty multitude,
but to the here and there thirsty indi-
vidual. SO much for tie first day of
the fair of the Saratoga Agricultural
Society when is here merely a day
of preparation, and which Is in the
opinion of your correspondent, slim
at that.
Wednesday, Sept. lst, 2nd day, of
the fair. II has been another splendid
day. visited the fair ground again
this afternoon, There was but Il
small crowd present. 1t was mcom-
Portable warm, with no ar stirring.
The sheep and hogs and cattle, pant
ed in their pens, and the trottiug hor-
ses were reeking with sweat and cov-
cred with dust. We saw, of course,
the inevitable big pumpkin, the nam
moth Squashe', the large heets, and
the various kinds of fruits. To have
you believe there was a splendid col
lection Of flowers ou exhibition, have
only to say, that Wick the celebrated
Rochester florist. was one OF the eX-
hibitors. OF fcourse there were very
nice articles in the line Of knitting,
llneede work, embroidery and so
forth, and Of fine paintings there were
not a few. There WAS a hlarse on eX-
hibition which cost $3.50. 1t was
rich with heavy plate glass, silver
p'ateing, and gold fringe and tassel
work The Sd and 4th days Of the
fair, was both, hot, dusty, and I'M
comfortable. About every body look
ed as if they were paying for ''the
whistle AS they went along. There
was lar2e crowd in attendance on
the third day, and u still larger one on
the 4th and last. The crowd was
much greater than the show, taken as
a whole, There was but very small
show Of poultry, sheep, hogs, cattle
and horses. There was no band of
music, and there was not even one sol
itary marshal riding about here and
there ''to keep things straight. The
fair appeared to be self propelling, or
in other words, to run itself. There
was one COW for which $3.50 was ask
ed, and u calf five months old the
price Of which was 1925. They
might have been worth that amount
of money, but we couldn't see it."
There Was a balloon ascension in the
afternoon of the fourth day. 1t was
inflated with hot air, and was not ex-
pected to stay up in the air great
while, and it did not. For in less
than three minutes from the time of
leaving the ground, the balloon had
gone up in the air three or four hun
dred feet, then moved off q short dis
tahce and landed the balloon man ~ II
locust tree, then it toppled over, and
relieving itself of the hot air there was
in it, lay collapsed thing on the
ground and in this summary manner
ended the balloon business Although
there was no band Of music, yet there
was rooster chorus on the ground
which was well worth hearing. 1t
ranged all the way from deepest bass
to sharpest tenor, and with the crack
ed voice of the young rooster thrown
in for auxiliary. Although the fair
lacked some things that go to make
up a Iirst-cass exhibition, yet there
was one thing on exhibition which
would have paid me well for visiting
il. even if thcre had been rothinc else