Morning journal and courier., 1885-09-16
THE STATE FAIR.

MER1DEN, Sept. 15-The sixteenth annu- a7 fair of the Connecticut Agricul- tural society opened here to-day very auspiciously The weather was almost too warm for comfort, yet it did not deter
 the people from congregating in large num- | bers at the fair grounds. Meriden was awake | to the importance of the event and made it l holiday for the children at least. The public ! schools were closed and the scholars in holi- day attire flocked to the Town hall and the grounds to feast their eyes on the thousand | and one articles of mems and women's han | diwork the products of field and farm and \ the grand display of all kinds of live stock. Every train brought from near and far hun | dreds of people who were interested in the exhibition. All sorts of vehicles were brought | into requisition to convey people to the park
 and they appeared to do good business. ! The park this afternoon presented most animated appearance. All the exhibitors | were busily engaged in getting their exhibits of whatsoever kind in the best possible con 1 dition for the inspection of the hundreds of
 people wko flocked to the park eager to see \ all they could within the short limit of time | allowed to them. There was an unusually
 large number of country teams to be seen in | and about the park, also many private car l riages belonging to the wealthy residents of the ''Silver City" A view from the report l ers' quarters, which are in the second story of l the judges stand, was charming. The park, Il surrounded by dark green hills, clearly and | distinctly outlined against the blue sky, with | the exhibition buildings and white tents of ! the showmen and hot oyster vendors within,
 presented picture most pleasing to look | upon.
 A walk about the fair grounds showed that
 the exhibit of blooded stock was the largest ! ever seen in Connecticut. It is with difficult | ty that the exhibitors of stock could be ac- | commodated with shelter for their animals, I and the carpenters were engaged all day in | erecting additional quarters for them. Presi- | dent James A. Bill alone has herd of twen- ! ty thoroughbred Devons and eleven Durhams | and many others make large exhibits of the | same breeds. The exhibit of Holsteins is | unusually large and is great surprise to | every body It was said by the officers to be I five times as large as in any previous year. An unusually fine lot of this breed comes | from the Hillside Stock Farm company of New Milford They show twenty-three head, ! all of which, except the fine bull, were i'm ported from Holland last year. While there is a slight falling off in the show of Jerseys, as compared with last years exhibit, yet A: | B. Colgrove of Middletown exhibits a herd of thirty-three, including his famous bull William the Conqueror." c. P. Gaylord of Terryville is the largest exhibitor of Heres lords, showing herd of twenty There is also a fair show of Ayrshires and 8 hand some herd of seventeen Swiss cattle by w. B. Fish of Mystic River.
 The display of single horses is not very large, but those that on exhibition are fine animals. Among these is fine young stallion by f'Smuggler," shown by s. P. Kit tredge of Peekskill. His name is ''Gamhetta" and he is much admired by all who see him. "George w., owned by George w. Flint of New Britain is a horse that also attracts id nI otfn ln- tended simply for exhibition are expected to arrive tomorrow and Thursday.
 President Bill exhibits 8 flock of one hundred and thirty sheep of all grades, while J. L. Buck of New Milford, T. $. Gold of West Cornwall and Dwight Rogers of North Cornwall exhibit fine specimens of the woolly animals
 The principal exhibitors of swine are E.. L. Smith of Wethersfeld and E. E. Clark of Meriden, both of whom show some fine specimens.
 The exhibit of poultry and fancy pigeons is unusually large. It was thought to-day that when all the eeops were arranged that there would be at least three hundred of them, and that the building devoted to this class of exhibits would be taxed to its ut= most capacity.
 The display of agricultural implements in the big tent is also very large and among the largest exhibitors are F. B. Bradley x Co.,, of New Haven, c, PieFpont x Co.,, of New Ha= ven, exhibit their hay cutters one of which is run by steam, and as the fuel is cut 1t is carried by endless buckets or shovels to tubs where it is emptied and the cutting and emp tying goes on uninterruptedly together.
 The Boston Blackboard company of New Haven exhibit eight fine carriages of differ | ent styles, and the judges to-day awarded them the first premium for the largest and | best display
 AT THE TOWN HALL. |
 I'M tho To1,o b.1J ;o oiroY,lu | immense Here is to be seen the beautiful | handiwork of the ladies in almost endless | quantity. The manufacturers and merchants | of Meriden are also making an unusual dis | play of fine goods. The view of the hall as | seen from the galleries makes picture well | worth looking upon. The fruit tables | through the center of the hall fairly groan under the weight of apples, pears, peaches, plums and grapes which are fanked on either | side by manufactured goods of the most | beautiful and costly description. The dis play of fruit is larger than ever before in the | history of this society and the quality is fully up to the standard.
 The vegetables and grains although the | last to arrive at the hall make most credit able display. All the exhibits in this de- partment were not fully classified till late this afternoon and special mention will have l to be deferred until another day. A mann moth squash, weighing over two hundred | pounds, is an object of much curiosity. In- quiry revealed the fact that the squash did not grow in Detective Brewers garden in New Haven, but that it was country pro- duction.
 THE PREMIUMS.
 This afternoon the judges were busily en- gagged in deciding upon premiums in certain | classes. In the matter of town teams Wal 1 lingford carried off the honors, the farmers of | that enterprising town sending very hand | somely decorated cart drawn by seventytwo | yoke of cattle. It attracted great atten- | tion and was much praised by | the shape of gable roofed | house on four wheels. The exterior on the | upper half is covered with stalks of broom | corn, neatly arranged. About half way | down on the house n shelf projection runs | out, which is filled with vegetables and fruit. | Hanging from the shelf is broom corn fash | toned as to form heavy fringe. On the | side of the house, between roof and shelf on | either side, are four wreaths with flowers in | the center; a festoon of green also extends | on either side whore the wreaths are placed. ! In front of the house are bouquets of flow l CTS and in floral letters are the words l 'fWallingford Grange" and on either side 1 the words worked in evergreen "Tillers of | the soil."
 Other premiums awarded were as follows: | Best team of oxen owned by one person Charles Parker, Meriden, 1st; s. H: Peck, l
 | ford, dis. Oxen six years old and over, weight 3, 400 and over-Charles Parker, Mer- iden, 1st; c. P. Gaylord, Terryville, 2d; | Henry G. Nettleton, Killingworth, Sd. Oxen | six years old and over, weight 3,4OO and un- der-A. L. Hamilton, Bristol, 1st; L. F. | Hart, Watertown 2d; Charles Parker, Meri- | den, 3d. Oxen four years old, weight 5000 l and over-C. F. Hamilton, Plantsville, list; Cyrus P. Gaylord, Terryville, 2d. ! Oxen four years old, weight 5000 and under-S. N. Peck, Watertown, 1st; Mrs. J. c. Luce, Newington, 2d Cows and heifers age two years-N. P. Beardsley Rovbury, 1st, for Hereford, 2d. for one year old Holstein; Cyrus P. Gaylord, Terry vile, 1st and 2d for Hereford, and L. N. Peck, Watertown, 1st for three-year old Durham. Best pair of fat oxen-Amos T. Botsford, Kensington, 1st; Best fat steers s. H. Peck, Watertown, 1st, F. F., Walling- ford, 2d. Best fat eow-James A. Bill, 1st and 2d. Steers three years old-F. w. Hotchkiss, 1st; Dwight Rogers, North Cornwall, End; Steers 5 years old N. F. Beardsley, Roxbury, 1st; s. H. Peck, Watertown, ,2nd; R. L. Ives, North Cornwall, l