Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-07-27
AGRICULTURE.
One Of the Most Interesting
Exhibits at Worlds Fair.
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csttea Sssd Oil.

rhs pisplay d tAs larss Paeaiss nsssss-
csttsa sssd Oil.
wegLp's FAIR, July ~ - lSpeciall -
| In former letter / pointed out some OF
the interesting features Of the great agrt-
| cultural exhibit Of the exposition, and
| said it would be necessary to recur to the
| subject again. The exhibit Is 50 vast,
covers 50 much that Is interesting and
| valuable, that il is with reluctance one
| leaves the doors Of the splendid psilac.
and goes 10 view other departments OF the
fair. One Of the distinguishing features
Of the agricultural show is the popcorn
| display. Perhaps you will remember that
the man who made the most money at the
Philadelphia exposition was the owner OF
| the popeorn right. His profits, l have
heard, amounted to the snug sam of sl-s,-
| 600 for the summer, a pretty fortune to
| make in six months with a capital of two
| or three Thousand dollars. l regret TO say
| that though popcorn sells tolerahly well
4 BtlG tkc CIV utt III AlAC 40 ~ASS AANN~A- -
| make fortune. He sells more in this
| building than any other, but even here,
| where the popcorn lovers most do eongre-
| gate, he is not disposing of half as much
| Of his wares as he had right 10 expect
All day long the popping of corn over the
| flames of gas goes on in two or three di-
| ferent places in the building, and Ger
| ,,sr nf cha yisitnrs. llly and
eat, with all that abandon and delight
| with which popcorn usually is accom-
| panied, but the aggregate sales are disaIs
| pointing.
1t seems that popcorn is losing its popu-
| larity among the masses of the people
| One explanation of this fact is that we are
| getting farther away from the farm
| Twenty years ago only one-sixth OF the
population lived in cities, and not one
| tenth of it was born within the borders
| thereof. Now one-third Of all our popula-
| ton lives in large towns or cities. As we
drift away from the farm we escape from
| its good influences. We lose our love, or
partly lose-for / do not think we can
| wholly do so-for the things which on the
| farm were our greatest delights. Besides,
we are growing proud. Many of us think it
| would be beneath our dignity to be seen
eating popcorn in the corridors OF the
| Agricultural building, or any other build
| ing here. Why, can't explain, for Ger
| tainly popcorn is great delicacy, one Of
| the finest Of confections, and there is no
| more reason why We should leave oil its
consumption than there is why we should
| stop smoking If we care to smoke.
| The decadence of popcorn in America
has also been brought about in part by the
| popularity of other confections Years
| ago il was the universal delicacy. Now
| there are scores of other sweetmoats,
| cheap and wholesome. Many readers Of
| this letter will be able to remember when
| about all the confectionery we had in this
| country was either the homemade variety
| known as ''molasses candy" or imported
| French goods. Now we beat the French
| and all other peoples in the fabrication OF
| sweetmeats.
If popcorn is gradually stepping to the
rear at great expositions many other arti-
cles are appearing to take its place. Here
| in the Agricultural building one may take
| his choice OF n great variety of articles OF
food aud delicacy without price. For in
| stance, foreign firm gives away sample
| of savory extract of beef soups in the Ar
! Sentine Republic exhibit, choosing that
| exhibit, probably, because it is from the
| Argentine states that it derives most Of
| its raw materials Many visitors to the
| fair take a plate of this soup every time
| they find themselves in the Agriculture
| building.
A number Of chocolate and cocoa firm
| have booths at which they give away sam
| ples of their wares. One of these firms ha
| erected here a pavilion of solid chocolate
| 1t is thirty feet high, and contains 5000
| bounds of the sweet stuff, filling all the all
| about with its aroma. Thepavilion is sur
| mounted by a statue of Germania hewr
| from a big block of chocolate and contain
| ing $3.50 pounds. Another firm erects
| castle of chocolate. An American baker
| gives away samples of his crackers, and
there are people who manage to make
| lunch on crackers, chocolate, cocoa, and
| extract of beef soups. If this does noi
| satisfy them they can 90 up into the gal.
| lery and look for the booth in which q
| trim old colored woman, named Aunt
| Jer1sha." bakes little batter cakes and
| hands them around as an advertisement
| for a baking powder firm.
| Quite significant Of the wonderful pro
| gress made during the last ten or fifteen
| years by Americans in the art Of preparing
| foods is the number and variety Of the ex.
| hibits of this sort to be found in the build.
ing, principally in the broad galleries
| One, more significant than the others, is q
| pavilion at which the attendants are con
stantly baking nice little cakes as an illus
tration of what may be accomplished by
| the use of cotton seed oil instead OF lard
| The makers of these oil goods claim they
are in every way equal to leaf lard, that
cotton seed oil is, in short, cieanlyl
wholesome and cheap article Of food. II
you taste one of their cakes you will read
lily see that the facts appear TO be on theil
side The importance, especially to tn,
south, Of development Of the food-value oi
he seed Of the cotton cr'r' T" ~"r" great
1t adds millions OF dollars year to the
| agricultural earnings of that section of the
country; and if it is as good an article a.
lard, and cheaper, the remainder of Us
have no right 10 complain.
| We see here that the Americans are CON-
ing to the front as makers of vermicelll
and macaroni. The manufacturers, o'
whom there are now quite number in
this country, claim that the finest wares
Of this sort are made right here in this
country, by American workmen and oi
American wheat. II this is true It IS q
welcome addition TO our prepared foods,
science which is revolutionizing the culin
ary art and the household economies o'
the land.
The fact that America feeds the world
or helps to do It, is well exemplified in this
building As we wander through its long
corridors and wide galleries it is easy tc
see that in soil, fertility, diversity Of prod
uct, vastness Of output, agriculture
America leads all creation. There is NJ
better proof Of this than thedisplays inad'
by the great packing houses Of Chicago
Kansas City, Omaha and other western
cities. There are no more interesting e1
hibits than these, either. Here is ons
firm which builds beautiful Refrigerator
car and runs it into the Agriculture
building. II is just Ike any other car saw
that it is Of finer workmanship and it:
| sides and ends are OF the best plate glass
sf double walls. Within are shown th
careasses Of beeves, dressed for market; o
! sheep, hogs, lambs, calves, and all tn
products Of these animals The variety o
! these products Is simply amazing. Thi
freight car, some forty feet long, IL file'
from one end to the other with them, an
: there are few Implications Very tempt
| iru some OF them are too to the hungf,