The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-11-02
,lForthe Dispatch.]
U-nog Ghoan Exhibitions.

1 The committee who awarded tfe pre-
| n,iums on long-wcsl sheep saw tit to append
\ note to their awards. as follows-vlz. !:
Is That, in their opinion, this is the least
Iereditabs exhibition of long-Woot "sheep
they have ever witnessed at VlrglniISiate
IiFair." Now, there.Was universe! express
sion Of opinion OF those who saw the snecp
tirom all quarters thst the sheep were I'M.
commonly fine, yet sll concurred that the
lIserhibition' of them was indeed -ss the
least creditable" that "they ever wit
nessed'' at a Virginia; State or dny'o.her
EFdif. And l think that all Will be OF the
same opinion when they read the facts set
forth in this communication, aehach c0ssnot
be- coatrouerted. Heretofore we had always
brought down our stock on the Mondayare-
fore the Fair commenced: but in order'to
have full time to classify: t1lem, and put each
entry-i n lis proper place, We concluded this
gear to:send them down on Saturday nigfsi
Is soon as they arrived they were uS-
leaded, and we applied for CAR stalls for the
horses and cattle and pens Cor the sheep
fas our entries werexsent in several days be-
fore the books were .closed). Stalls were
soon pointed out to Gs for the horses and
cattle by those in charge Of :flat depart
ment. I'VE then applied for pens for our
sheep. out could find no,one on: the grounds
in charge of the sheep-pens. Sosur sheep
had to zemain eut on TIE grounds until
Monday morning, when we supposed some
one in authority would be on the grounds
to show the pens assigned to us. We found
many emptS covered stalls thGI had dG,cGyS
been assigned TO sheep, but All employs Of
the sheep division said that he had just re-
ceiyed orders from the priacir al Of that de-
DQYtment that all the empty Sheep-pet1s
north OF the railroad delivery-gate should
be assigned to Sacine, as there were
q great num6er Of s,cine on the
grounds. This most extraordinary ruiz
ing Of course we had to submit TO.
We then commenced looking over the
grounds for some empty pens or corners IN
which to pen our sheep, but found most OF
the stalls occupied, and all of those vacant
ticketed with the name Of one OF the men,
bers Of the Executive Committee, and
thinking that it would be high treason to
occupy a stall marked " Taken by one OF
them we concluded to wait for further de-
yeopments. The principal Of tue Sheep
and Swine Department soon arrived on the
grounds, and we appealed to him. He said;
that TOO much Stocb a1dS brought TO the
Edir,' and as he could find no carpenters
on the ground. that we had better borrow
some boxes and make pens, and drive
our sheep into them. This was done, and
some forty sheep, in ten different CLASSES,
were put in t,co pens, aud were Kept In
this way until evening. when some carpen-
tiers came and made four or five pens, with
out shelter, and each OF those pens were
divided so as to make two pens, in which
the sheep had to remain all night, crowded
and exposed TO drenching rain; and
there being no troughs in the pen they
could not be fed, and in this conc:-
ton they were examined by the judges; 5.
and l certainly concur with them in the
opinion that the exhibition" of these.
sheep was not at all g creditable"; but
even under all those adverse circumstances:
we were able to successfully compete with:
stock brought from the far-famed grass.
lands of the Valley and the Piedmont sec
ton, aud we are we'll satisfied that all or
our stock receiving second premiums would
have had first premiums awarded them had
they have been kept under shelter alone,
without any Of the carding, &c, &c, tnat
was given to those so kept. ! will here
state that 1 was applied to by one OF the
judges to purchase two pairs OF Tue ewes
exhibited, and another one OF Inc 5uusess
told me that this was .thee oeSt dtsp1ug "
lolaq-cooI sheep" he had ever seen az tue
State Fair. Hoping that the next e1n.o,-
tom Of "long-wooi sheep VIII DC mucn
more " creditable to TIE Socsety than tne
present one has been to Il, Will close this
already too long-but
which could not well be made shorter in
Justice to the exhibitors OF the iong-Wool
Sheep a. p. Rowe.