Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1883-08-10
FRIDAY AUGUST 10. 1888.



Premiums, Fairs and Races.
The season for holding agricultural,
fairs is fast approaching again and so.
cieties are already publishing the artrac-
tions and inducements for exhibitors
that will be offered. As usual the most
prominence will be given to trials of
speed, the race course offering the great
est attraction. This is probably the
most bewitching and at the same time
the most demoralizing part of an agri-
cultural fair which would more prop
erly be named horse races. The old
time agricultural fairs had very little
racing, probably one day set apart for
that purpose and then only for the trial
of draught and farm horses. In these
latter days the whole system seems 20
have been changed and horse races
given the prominent place while from
the scanty exhibitions of farm and in
dustrial products it will be seen the
name agricultural fair is but a mere
subterfuge to hide horse races dimly.
We are not specially condemhing trials
of speed in horses, but when they as
sumo the character of the straight out
jockey race, and some miserable raw
boned spavin-kneed horse, fed, groomed
and fixed up for the occasion, carries
Oft the largest prizes, then the fair as
sumes the character of a farce Honest
agriculture and industry want return
to old times when fairs were generally
for the purpose Of ascertaining who
raised the best and most prolific varie-
ties of wheat, the best oats, the best
corn, the best hay, the best ca tile, sheep,
swine and poultry, the best farm and
draught horses who makes the best
threshers, the best reapers and mowers,
the best plows, harrows, windmills, cut
ting boxes. horse rakes and all the i'm
proved agricultural machinery of the
times, the latest invented novelties
what ladies made the best quilts
afghans, tides, table covers, hosiery
and homemade linens, laces and wooden
fabrics. Instead of offering the highest
premiums to find out which nag is the
fastest let them be offered as well for
agricultural products and ladies' work.
When this is done agricultural fairs will
assume more of the character which
was first intended.
Regular straight ont horse races are
thoroughly demoraizing though there
is a commendable effort made to pre-
vent open betting at some of them.
When race is won nobody knows
after it is over which is the fastest and
best horse any more than they knew
before the r"ce commercial for nobody
knows how much money may have
been slipped into the hands of the dri-
Yer to induce him to hold back his
steed instead Of urging it onward. An
article in the West Chester Local News
reveals an effort made to revive real
public spirit in the Agricultural and
industrial fair held annually at
Media. A number of public spirited
gentlemen engaged in various pursuits
have offered special premiums in addi-
tion to those offered by the managers Of
the fair, for the best wheat, the best
oats, the best corn, the best potatoes,
the best swine, the best display ofsiver
ware and other articles and animals of
public use and utility. In the whole
list no special premium is offered for
the two-twenty nag. 1t may be said
that these gentlemen are farmers and
have possibly the products for sale for
which they are Offering special prem-
ums and therefore their liberality is a
grindstone that is sharpening clever
sized axe. We do not see that even i,
this were true that it is any objection
while the whole fair partakes OF the
nature of an advertising enterprise. If
few persons would pursue this plan
it would create more Of an interest in
exhibiting real agricultural products
and make it worth while to lose a little
time and cash as well in contending for
the prizes offered. At any rate, any
plan which would make our modern
time fairs less a series Of jockey races
and more an industrial and art eAhibi
ton will be an advantage to the coun-
try.