Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-09-29
RICHMOND FAIR.
Poor Crops Tends to Keep the Ex-
hibits Below the Average.
Hon. 3. W. Mckeen Delivers Very Interesting
Address in tho Afternoon.

Richmond, Sept. -(Special). The
21st annual cattle show and fair Of the
Richmond Farmers and Mechanics
Club was held on the association
grounds, Tuesday. The day was bright
but fierce wind swept down from the
north. causing many a mortal to seek
shelter under the lee OF the fair house
and along the sunny side Of the woods.
The attendance was fairly good in the
afternoon, but the crowd did not seem
to possess the staying qualities 1t has
manifested in former years.
A look at the exhibits seemed to
satisfy the average visitor. who, with
parting word to an old acquaintance
whom perhaps he had not seen since
last year, buttoned up his great coat
and turned his way homeward. T!i,.
number that remained, however, was
sufficient to give the fair respectable
size and dimensions.
But what is fair anyway? A fair
is fair. 1t is even more. A fair, says
one, celebrates the triImphs of peace.
the achievements and conquests )f
mind over the vegetable kingdom. the
Improvement of the annual creation
and the inventive genius Of the age
in fashioning raw materials into ar
ticles that conduce to the comfort of
man.
How's that for definition Of a fair?
WELL Richmond farmers are up to all
these tricks. The directors of the Rich
mond Farmers and Mechanics Club
are young men of keen intelligence and
know how to get up a fair as well as to
manage a farm. AS Secretary Dipslow
remarked to the Journal. II the fair is a
failure the fault is with the season and
not with the management.
The fair was by no means failure,
but as everybody knows farmers have
played against loaded dice this year
In some respects the exhibits in the
fair house were better than in any
previous year. The display Of vege-
tables though not large was of the
finest quality. Specimens of trace corn
shown by S. b. Hathorn. A. b. Reed
and Willie Shelton has never been
beaten on the Richmond grounds.
The showing of fruit was meagre as
compared with the display made in
former years, but David Alexander and
Z. c. Harlow brought fine samples of
apples and pears. Mr.. Alexander also
exhibited several boxes Of honey, the
dairy products looking good enough to
eat.
The ladies department elected the
admiration of the throng, the display
of fancy needle work being most ex-
cellent in point of quality. A choice
- n. IT.
The neat stock shown was of a
standard grade. The famous herd of.
F. J. Libby attracted attention as it
does whenever and wherever shown.
NJ. A. Brown & Son exhibited their herd
of "a grade COWS. The exhibition of
draft oxen was never better. AS usual
S. b. Hathorn easily took the lead in
this line. A variety of grade bulls were
shown by well-known stock breeders.
AT the horse stand. CAD. Newell ex-
hibited 2-year-old colt by Ben Frank
lin. Frank and Harry Yeaton showed
a handsome pair of yearlings by Gen.
Smith. The latter stood in stall with
his mate and attracted considerable at
tention of passersby. Alfred Trott ex-
hibted a 3-years-old stallion.
Out of the wind on the east side of
the fair house was the poultry stand.
Il. W. Trott, Daniel Stewart, Wendall
Young and S. Is. Hathorn exhibited
coops of standard grade. A novelty at
the fair was corn reaper and binder
shown by f. ]. Libby The work of
this wonderful machine is astonishing.
Hon. 3. Walker McKeen, secretary
of the Maine board of agl iculture. ad-
dressed the assemblage in the after
noon, illustrating the form of judging
stock by score cards. taking animals on
the stand and explaining the matter
thoroughly. The address was highly
and was much enjoyed by
all who heard it. The presence of Hon.
0. Gardiner of Rockland. who assisted
in judging stock. added rauch to the in
terest Of the occasion.
All things considered the fair was a
very creditable one and cannot fail to
arouse deeper interest in agricultural
The officers of the asso-
citation for the ensuing year are the
President, S. E. Skillins; sec
retary, c. E. Dinslow; directors, F. J.
Libby. Homer Alexander. Henry Skel-
ton, Henry r. Smith and Uriah Lam
caster.
A despatch from Montreal states that
Halifax hereafter is not even to be port
of call for the Dominion and Allan line
steamships 1t is further stated that the
mail subsidies hitherto granted these COM