Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-06-22
Agricultural Hall,


SLOW IN getting fairly opened Even now
some of the goods and articles to be ex-
hlplted are in boxes. and the hammer,
preparing space for them, resounds in
nearly every quarter of the hall As vet
neither OF the two engines which are to
run The machinery is up, though both are
under way, and will be moving about the
1st of July.
Many sections of the hall are fitted I'D
most lastly and elegantly, with fine car
pets, rich furniture, and every indication
OF comfort. 1t looks as though house
keeping had been set for permanency, or
at least six years, instead of six months.
The eastern half of the hall is occupied
almost exclusively by farm machinery.
implements, and tools. Plows and Guilt
Vators alone cover nearly an acre of space.
Some OF the plows are most elaborately
| finished and would decorate an art hall
At least thirty or forty of the leading pillow
companies of the United States and Canada
are here represented, and such a show of
the kind the world never saw before.
oeparators, reapers and mowers, hay
rakes, grain and seed drills are very lib
| orally represented. There must be 900
reapers and mowers on exhibition. Plant
ers, tanning mills, farm wagons, steam
engines for farm use, lawn mowers, farm
scales, churns and farm tools of every
kind make a good show. Then there are
hay leaders and unIoaders, steam spades,
potato diggers, guano sewers, cider
presses, grapple hay forks, wagon Jacks,
tobacco shippers, smoked beef cutters
Woodenware, pumps, stable fittings, sugar
machines, cane presses, and a hundred
articles needless to enumerate The
United States leads the world in agricult-
ural implements ant machines. This
fact all nations acknowledge Canada in
certain articles is hard after us, and makes
fine display in the southeastern part of
the hall.
In that quarter is the Italian depart
ment, where one sees olive oils, cordials.
cheese, sausages, and scores of other art
lcles. Great Britain and Ireland occupy
a central position in the southeastern
quarter, and have ample space to exhibit
the great variety of vegetation which
springs up under the British flag, and the
choice condiments, ETC., made from such
vegetation. We have even models of
fruit from British Columbia, where apples
ought to be ashamed to grow.
Germany shows us her best wines
beer, OF course-grape sugar, glue, starch,
aromatlcS, salts, and a hundred other
things. She has few scythes here, wide
enough for old Time to use. Austria is
not fully open, but means to do herself
honor. Japan, with her superb teas and
sauce, her varieties Of WOOD, and a thou
sand other things, attracts every visitor to
the hall. Estrada Unidos de Venezuela
shows US indigenous bitters, simply to
look at, and great assortment of vegeta-
BILE preparations. Holland runs to the
aquatics, and the Netherlands to wax,
preserves, and grains. The Dutch Agri-
cultural Society makes a praiseworthy
exhibit. France occupies wide space and
spreads herself for glorious show; but
some of her goods are still unpacked,
having arrived last week The Danish
seeds are worth noting. On the same
square is great army of bottles which no
man can number-porter, beer and bit
tiers. Sweden brings a few wholly metal
lie plows, and lots of leather, netting,
ETC., etc. Norway has similar plows.
stuffed fish, preserves and many kinds of
hpUpra wi OF
cohol. Brazil makes a grand display of
turs, wood, leather, wooden fabrics of
many varieties and choice vegetable prep
arations. Portugal beats all nations in
the cork line. Her silks, woods and
wines are also noticeable. The space re-
served for the Argentine Republic is still
empty. Russia is hardly ready. Spain
has thousand things nicely displayed
MANILA hemp, cables, rope of all kinds
and textures, tortoise shell, huge lemons,
12O varieties of rice, and oyster shells 81
feet long! Other countries are represented
here, but it is hardly necessary to enum-
crate further, except that Liberia shows
palm oil, soap, wild indigo, coffee, cocoa,
etc. Every quarter of the globe has some
OF its soil or sea products in this hall.
About one-half Of the States having
spaces allotted to them have filled it with
products peculiar to their latitude, longi-
tude, taste and enterprise. Most of the
New England States, Michigan, Iowa,
Oregon and California have taken special
pains to make full and impressive ex-
h1bit. They are mostly located in the
northwestern quarter of the hall. There,
along the wall of the building, is long
row of tanks, designed for both fresh and
salt water fish. Tortoises seem to lead
OF, only one or two tanks, as yet, having
fish.
Gloucester, Mass, occupies a whole
square in this quarter Of the building,
having a large tank, with vessels floating
in the water, and representing the differ
ent styles Of water craft built during the
asst hundred years. Fertilizers are here
exhibited by private parties. A Troy, n.
T., house shows how horse-shoes are
made. India-rubber and the India-rub-
Der plant from Central America and Afri-