Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-08-29
Fairs.
A correspondent of the Ohio Farmer
pays his respects to the fairs rs follows.
DIR FAIRS

A correspondent of the Ohio FarDtc,
pays his respects to the fairs rs follows;
OUR FAIRS.
Agricultural papers hereaway have nj
ready begun the publication of the usun
list OF State and County Fairs. For ,
month or six weeks more a column or tw,
will be devoted to this purpose each week
In most eases, | presume, editors thinl
they are doing their subscribers orient
benefit by this array, more or less accurat,
rs 1t Is, Of the times and places of holdino
these annual festivals; in some instances i
is quite likely taken as an easy method oI
tllllng space, for these are hot, Hstlcss
days, when the mental enginery works
lardlly, and yet the mill must grind on
though it grind not like those of the Gods
But, really, | am inclined to think that thp
only ones for whom the list is of grcat
benefit is the gamblers, the showmen. the
irnerant last-horse men, the graceles,
tramps and the pickpockets. Occasional
ly an exhibitor buys paper for the fair
list, but the bulk OF the extra copies 90 to
the classes above mentioned. Indeed I
can refer you to dealer in sporting goods
OF whom these fellows oct their animal
supplies, who purchase these lists bv the
thousands of an agricultural PUBLISHING
firm whose paper annually berates in
roundest terms the managers of fairs, who
open their gates to the exhibitors OF giants
tat women, learned pigs, double headed
calves, gar lbIers of all grades and degrees
agricultural boss trots" and the mounte-
bank business generally, and this leads me
to say n word about the degeneracy of orr
western fairs in general. 1t is notorious
IacI mat, us at presnt run, in most cases
progressive agriculture would be far bet
ter off without them. Three DAYS Of the
ordinary county fair will effect more de-
moralization of the present generation of
farmers boys than good church and home
teaching can counterfeit in six wears
Largely in the hands of stock companies
ana trottlng associations, they are man.
aged by men who know notbipr of aUri.
culture and who care less for aoriculInr-
lists; who conduct them to make the storl
OF the company pay, regardless of the in.
terest IN which they profess to conduct
them, and to the decided detriment of mix
lie decency and morality. There mnst HI.
decided reformation in these matters nv
respectable farmers must entirely with.
uraW from their support. The time was
when the local and state fair was an i'm
portant element in the Improvement of the
farmer and the farm. There are eases
where such is now the fact, but thew ore
extremely rare. Readers of THE Farmer
what are your views on this subectP How
many will suggest remedies for present
abuses, for probably abuses exist in vonr
locality as well as in mine? BETTER vet
how many will take hold to carry ont sur'
geslions for reform? Fairs cost time nnd
they cost money to both exhibitors and
visitors, and they should be made to renav
with interest their time and money Rnt
% they DO itP Are they not ~ delusion
and snarem
There is pretty fair sprinklng of truth
In these remarks, and yet we cannot SEQ
where the managers of these fairs are on.
Ilreiy to blame in our section, though thew
are guilty of much of what is charocd
above.
lnere can be no very positive agricultu-
raj Information impaired by balloon as
consion' nor yet by the annual address
generally given by some man outside tho
agricultural fold, and, who generally
speaks of something else than agriculture, ,
II else talks of what he knows little abopt :
Farmers taking articles to the fairs have
strong liking for good liberal premiums =
nd the job the managers have to do is to :,
ind the money to pay these premiums to ~
evise ways and means to " take in y u u
nough for that purpose, for we think it u
you'd hardly be expected that the officers "
agricultural societies should pay all such e. e.
expenses from their own pockets. =,
II exhibitors of giants, fat women ~ ~
armed pigs and double-headed calves IT