The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-11-17
THE CUMBERLAND FAIR.

We have attended a number of
fairs in our State during the year,
and we confess that in every in
stance we have been a~greeably dis
appointed. Crops have been short,
u staple money crops have ruled
low and the great monetary depres-
sion which our farmers have sorely
felt we feared would have a seriously
d~iscouraging effect on u fairs.
But never, in our most prosperous
years, have we had such Il series of
successful exhibitions as have just
closed. While each and all Of them
might have been much better, yet
they could have been decidedly
worse.
The Cumberland fair was adjudged
to be the best ever held by the
Society. The railroads running three
excursion trains daily, bringing in
the people from Bennettsville,
Greensboro and Wilson, and all inter-
mediate points, thronged the grounds
with the largest crowds that have
ever before visited them. The exhib-
itions of stock, poultry and field
crops were especially good. We
have never, on any similar occasion,
seer so much of fine North Carolina
bacon. This was a good sign.
Col. Davis, Of La Grange, with
his splendid battalion of cadets, gave
the people a proof of the excellence
Of his training and discipline in the
superb drilling of his boys. The
young men behaved we'll on the field,
they behaved well on the streets,
they behaved we'll everywhere and
their general bearing was creditable
alike to themselves, to Col. Davis
and to his excellent school. The
work that is being done for the
youth of the State by such men as
the Thompsons, Bingham, Davis,
Hollis, Rays, benson, Morson and a
host of others, cannot be over
estimated.
We greatly regretted that we
were unavoidably kept away from
Fayetteville until the "big day was
over. We missed the speech Of
Col. Thomas M. Holt, but we hope
it will be published and that we may
be able to give it to our readers.
A mar Of clear head, a discrimi-
mating judgment and a thoroughly
practical mind, and one who has
been uniformly successful in manu-
featuring, farming and all his bust
ness enterprises, his views on the
great agricultural interests of the
country are entitled to that consid-
GRAFTON which they will no doubt
command wherever expressed.
Speeches, and speeches on every i'm
aginable subject, and from all kinds
OF speakers, are being constantly put
before the public, but it is seldom
that an agricultural speech from a
practical agriculturist finds it's way
into the papers. Indeed it is a rare
occurrence that n of this kind of
men is called on to deliver a
speech, especially at an agricultural
fair. We believe (and now is a good
time to say IT'D that one of the most
absurd and ridiculous tarces perpe-
trated on a long-sutferlng people is
an agricultural speech at an agricul-
tural fair by a man who knows,
practically, nothing in the world
about agriculture.
I'VE congratulate the management
onHhe success of the Fair, and hope
another year to see SO many cattle,
horseA colts, hogs, sheep, poultry,
field products and specimens Of work
from out mechanics, artizans, manu-
tacturerA and ladies, that no room
a be found in the grounds for the
cheats add swindles that usually
infest and disgrace all our fairs.