The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-11-06

account of objects of interest at tn
Texas State Fair, and now proceed II
redeem my pledge.
The first thing that struck me wa
the magnitude and completeness o
the whole institution, and the interes
it excites in the people, as evidenced
by the crowds daily in attendance
The experience of the past four year.
has enabled the management to avoit
mistakes that are inevitable in all new
undertakings, and supply sttractionl
and conveniences necessary to COM
mand popular favor. There did no
appear to be anything wanting requi
site to great success, and it is to bt
hoped that the financial results may
be in keeping with the other features
of the fair.
was surprised and disappointed al
the small attendance from Travis anC
adjoining counties. 1t is true the
distance and expense of the trip i,
considerable, and prohibitory in many
cases, but this cannot account for the
absence Of hundreds who could afford
both the time and money. But the
loss is theirs. Their absence rather
argues lack of interest in progressive
agriculture and improved stock.
That this charge cannot be laid at
the door of other counties was demon
strated by the exhibits made by coun-
ties as widely apart and removed from
Dallas as Lamar, Wichita, Hardeman,
Callahan and Reeves. The fair asso-
citation offered a reward for the best
county exhibit, and there was a large
and close competition for the banner,
that emblem being won by Ellis
county, hard pressed by Wichita. The
display in both cases was something
to be remembered. Both exhibits ap
peared to contain specimens of every
thing that commonly grows in the
temperate latitide, and much that is
understood to belong to tropical and
sub-arctic regions, thus demonstrating
the adaptability of our soil and eli
mate to the production of everything
that springs from the earth, These
exhibits will be of incalculable value,
not only to the counties making them
but to the state at large, as every Wis
itor from other states had in them an
object lesson more effective that vol
umes of writing or tons of printed
matter.
Ellis county's collection had the adj
vantage of building entirely to itself,
and the various products of the soil
were arranged in a most effective and
artistic manner. In neither quantity
or quality did there appear to be any
thing lacking, though the gentleman
in charge kept on insisting that their
crops had been a failure this year, and
that the display was nothing to what
they could do under more favorable
conditions.
One could not help thinking that
there must be special providence for
the people of Ellis, as the mommoth
peaches, apples and other fruits
caught the eye, rivsling in size and
beauty the works of art carried by the
tree peddler.
1t almost takes ones breath away to
think of what this county can do in a
Favorable year" and excites wonder
that one acre of land should be on
the market, and l suppose there
would not be, if it were all confined to
that one county.
But the fact is that Ellis merely
represents score of other counties
equally favored, that did not take the
trouble to advertise themselves. AS
"the Lord helps those that helps
themselves" ths citizens of Ellis will
certainly reap reward commensurate
with their enterprise.
The people of Wichita county had
spared no trouble or expense to show
to the world the Astounding richness
of their section. AS small grain
country it surely cannot be excelled.
The wheat, oats, barley and rye were
each of the finest quality, while sam
Piles of cotton, corn, sorghum and
fruits showed the wide range Of their
products.
The idea of the sudden change from
virgin prairie and uncivilized human
ity to civilization was cleverly con-
veyed by three figures representing a
Comanche Indian, the man with the
hoe and his wife. The savage bore
on his noble breast card with the
legend II was here in 80" The
farmer was labeled 81 am here to
stay" while his better half with wifely
loyalty, said "me, too"
Nothing could better demonstrate
the rapid development of the great
northwest than this Wichita exhibit.
Perhaps the most interesting of all