The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-12-25
REPORT or THE STARK co UNTl
TBRAL, SOCIETY FOR THE
s..j " \, x ENDING glS79,

TbR4Et SOCIETY For THE
q.as " \ 81. lEEDiNGtlS7S'
~ ak t .-A----- ~ I.'
rbs pf,h Annuol lFair ofthe staFkC
cultura sooiely, was held Sept. SOth'N
and Am 1879, on the'Fair Grounds 81
Never in he history OF the organization v
r,a-e interey Manifested. BY the unit
"a NAEsntee :, Managers cone frosI
M, 4 and the heS An1nH NseT d 81
and the people 90 Y1 pl,, Ws vey, I
previous exhibition. ~ - - w 'sl u N
the annual reports tie queslion, ~
make our fairs more successful" In COZ W
with this, aud In answer thereto let me ,r.,,., v
hint to the Secretaries Of the various Societies wa.
nnd 1t necessary to put such question: for, aB
understandit, those questions are put 10 receive
light on the subject and It would be we'll i think
II all Secretaries who experience successes would
inform the readers Of their reports of the means
employed to bring about such results, have had
number Of years experience, and each succeed
ing year,I have made use Of new ideas resulting
in Increased exhibitions over the former year
The great secret In order to make the Fair sue
cess is embodied in one thing, OF which too many
Of our people are Ignorant, viz: the educating
OF them to the full comprehension of the fact that
1t Is their Fair, Fair by the people and for the
people, that It's officers andmanagers are but their
servants, that 1t Is not money. making concern
for few (as is too generally believed), but that
every farmer, mechanic and artisan has a COM
mon interest in 1t, Be not wanting then In this
particular thing, viz in free use Of printers,
ink for at least six months before the Fair in fact
do not allow the interest to die out at any time
during the year, but keep the benefits to be de-
rived from these annual exhibitions constantly
before the people; put out your premium list ear.
ly in the spring; see that 1t finds lOdgment In
every farmers house, prepare every department
Of 1T with view toward interesting its readers.
In connection with the list Ct premiums inter-
sperse with news items valuable to every one. In
our last list the writer prepared and had publish.
ed historical sketch of the Society from Its In.
Ception to the time Of writing This was an
incentive for many to seek sitter the pamphlet
that would not otherwise have been interested
and once In their hands they find 1t attractive
and learn from 1t that the Fair is not for favor.
ed few but that all stand upon the same plane
There is another query which very often enters
into the reports, viz; Should intoxicating liquor
be allowed on the grounds during the FairR',
Stark says, Away with III" This vile thing, so
obnoxious to our better class OF citizens, was
ruled out at our last Fair and we are proud to say
and feel that the result was happy one, and
that 1t was one Of the means toward our grand
success. It was hinted when the rule was en-.
bodied among the rules of the premium list that
the matter had best be kept quiet, as 1t would be
an experiment and might injure the Fair, But
Instead OF that 1t was announced In flaming let.
ters In our posters and freely circulated through
the newspapers, We received the appreciation Of
the good people, and say to every Society, fear
not in wedding out those evils which tend toward
degradation. ItiE the refined, the thinking mind
the scientist that makes your Fairs and not the
rumseller, the topper, the gambler. Away with all
this and let the intelligence of your county know
thatlthey tcan come to the Fair without fear Of
molestation, and my word for IL, you need never
again ask the question, "What can be done to
make our Fairs more successful" During the
past year we have increased our membership
over 400, numbering now over one thousand
members. We had excellent weather all during
our Fair, the receipts were upward Of s400 above
last year. and about 800 more than any previous
Fair. Large expenditures were made for per-
msnent improvements as will be seen by refer.
ence to the financial exhibit. can safely say
that Stark never had better Fair than the last
lacking only III one branch, that of machinery
being short compared with former exhibits, but
on the whole, 1t exceeded In number, quality
and completeness.
Our Society is in excellent shape, and It's pros.
pect for future usefulness highly satisfactory.
soIL--The soil OF our county is principally a
gravelly loan and easily cultivated; especially
adapted to winter crops, and none the less suited
to all the staple products. We claim, therefore,
by reason of the adsptabiliy Of our SOIL to be an
agricultural county, and agriculture our leading
industry. Carried forward on a scale more close
ly nearing perfection than any other, old things
Of quarter and half a century ago have given
way to new and improved methods, and agrlcul-
ture has become science. The spirit of rivalry
has probably done more toward perfect system
of farming than sught else
| In the culture Of wheat we stand pre- eminent
not only in acreage but also In quantity, and the
nature of our soil being such as to produce
quality excelled nowhere in the State. 1t Is the
farmers staple product, the product of his labors
from which he reaps his greatest gains The
question may be asked. rs as much wheat grown
now In proportion to the inhabitants as there was
twenty-five to forty years sgo2" Minds differ on
this point though 1t is generally conceded that
there is much more grown now than years ago.
while there is no definite date upon which to
base this assertion natural results indicate and
| kLFa NI,n bo,k Ian 10
were cultivated, the foul lay waste. The farmers
of that day, uneducated In the true principles OF
farming, failed to see that with very little out.
lay and labor lis waste and barren fields could
be made to produce as much as his best. Under.
draining and open'ditChlng has been done and
the lands formerly burden under taxation now
bring forth in abundance. In this connection let
me state that the profit of understanding, in this
county, has been from so to 100 per cent. have
this from all sections Of the county where under.
draining has been carried forward, and the fore.
going is the universal report that lands produC,
ing spRrlngly have been made to yield so to 100
per cent, and lands heretofore burden are cul
ivated, bringing forth abundantly.
The farmer OF the low.land sections should take
heed to this. that by judicous under draining you
can double your product, It is matter worthy Of
consideration. By our industry we have utilized
our waste lands You can do the same. Take
the map and trace the "Big Ditch" in the north
ern part Of our county, running through section
that twenty five years ago was vast wilderness,
the abode Of rattlesnakes wild cats and the like
You may now see vast fields Of crops growing in
their season. Enterprise and industry Of the hus.
bandman has done all this. But Notwithstanding
all the efforts put forth, we must admit Of one
thing, viz: that our best lands do not produce as
large yield per acre as they did forty years ago.
The reason OF this is apparent to every one
Nature has fixed laws, and the soil will lose Its
power OF production, though the best Of fertiliz'
ing be observed, Just as man and all else animate
and inanlmate will by time and usage lose It's
power Of regeneration. While we recognize
farming as our leading pursuit, we are not forget
full Of the improvement of our stock. Many Of
our farmers make 1t a specially to breed thorough
Il