Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-08-27
sNIX AND RECORD AND FARMER, FRIDAY, AUGUST 81 1880
Agricultural Fairs.

Agricultural Fairs.
The flair season" is at hand again, and the
! spirit moves us to offer few suggestions to
farmers in regard to attendance at these an
nual exhibitions.
First do not forget that they are, or should
be, agricultural and mechanical fairs and ex-
ponents of the industrial interests of the
country. Their object is the promotion Of
the best interests of agriculture, horticulture,
Horticulture, and the related mechanic arts
and Of everything calculated to make farm
life moro truly enjoyable and refined, and
farming moro truly successful as pursuit
Everything ON the grounds should be judged
! by this rule
Exhibitions of improved tools, implements,
machinery and devices for increasing the
quantity or quality of the results produced
| on the farm or in the house are certainly to
| be encouraged, not only by the managers
| through the offer Of premiums for excellence,
| by furnishing space for exhibition, and nc
commodations for exhibitors, but farmers
and their families should also encourage them
| by a careful and thorough examination of the
| various exhibits
The fine art hall and the domestic hall
should be well patronized, for they tend to
| elevate the taste and thus make our rural
homes more pleasant and enjoyable and keep
the children from rushing to the cities.
The exhibition of improved live stock and
| farm products is to be encouraged, for it
brings to notice the best breeds, varieties,
| processes, feeds, methods, etc, and stimu-
lates emulation, especially among the young.
| Speed trials on the track are to be encourag-
ed just so far rs they tend to encourage the
| breeding of better roadstors. But when these
| speed trials monopolzo the entire attention
and descend to the level Of mere horse racing
with oil tba attendant ~ Iritl
| ing, jockeying, pool-selling, betting, aud 9TH
er forms of gambling, they cease to be in any
| sense agricultural, aud should have no place
| inside the enclosure.
Second, do not forget that you are farmers
| BE exhibitors yourselves il possible. and it is
| possible. you can certainly excel in some
one thing, and your success shown and ex-
| planned, will benefit others Examine the
things in your special line, and inquire how
other exhibitors secured their results En-
courage your children to examine and inquire
for this is one means Of developing an agri-
cultural taste, raising farming from drudgery
to skill, and preventing the headlong rush OF
| our sons to the eXcitements and temptations
of city life.
Third, do not attend for mere amusement
| Do not hang around the race track all the
time, and then blame the Board for encourage
horse racing Do not patronze the countless
sde-shows and clap-trap devices for getting
the peoples money that always abound iu and
about fairs and all places where men most
| do congregate" II you and your children
want to be astonished by the wonderful or
tickled by the ludcrous and the ridiculous,
! why. 90 TO 'Barnums Greatest Show on
Earth State Boards and Agricultural So
| cietiss can not compete successfully with
Barnum as showmen, and sensible farmers
ought not to compel them to try. These fairs
should be the best possible exhibitions Of ag-
ricultural, mechanical, aud artistic labor and
skill, and should be patronized and studied
| accordingly.
Fourth, come in good natured, and not
| in fault finding frame of mind. We have
often heard the remark, I've better things
at home" If you have you ought to have put
them on exhibition if you have not, it will
| do you nor any one else any good to lie about
| it.
| Again, don't find fault with all the awards
| of prizes. They are not often Intentionally
unfair. State and county boards try to put
the very best men CASUALLY specialists they
can find on the various committees. They
would be fools if they didn't and the com
mttees are fools if they don't decide as fairly
and rs wisely possible. Partially and col
| fusion are sure to be discovered, and will act
forciby against the financial success Of the
fair, and the managers know it. But you
| must remember that committees often have a
difficult and puzzling work TO do. Compel
| ing articles are often Of exactly or very near
| ly equal merit. fit were n question Of mere
| weight for instance, the scales would settle
| it but sometimes fifty varying points and
conditions enter into the problem. In such
| cases each member of the committee must
vote as the general preponderance of excel
lent points require, and the concurrent voice
| of the majority Of the committee is generally
| right. At all events it should be final There
should be no wrangling over it, no express
sions of superior knowledge on the part OF
men not on the committees Some men
think they give proof Of superior knowledge
by crticising everything. They usually give
| proof, simply, OF superior cgOtism and folly.
| During the war ten Thousand village wise
acres could have managed the advance on
| Richmond better Gin their own opinion than
Grant himself. This goes to show, simply,
that mans own opinion of his own knoHl-
| edge is not always conclusive. To be sure,
there are sometimes Just causes for complaint
| at the decisions of committees but sensible
man will not get mad and abuse everybody
about it, lie will act calmly and consider
| ately, and if there has been mistake he
stands a much better chance to have it cor
| rected than the rash, impetuous, violent, in
| considerate, unreasonable man has
In short, attend the fairs-to exhibit to
see, compare, and learn not as q cynical
outsider, to find fault with everything - Ohio
| Farmer.