The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-09-10
EiktOn Fair.

We dropped in on Eikton Fair
on Wednesday an hour to look
round and see how it compared
with former exhibits. There was
but small display of machinery
and a few carriages, but the farm
productsand stock were all very fine.
Dairy stock, sheep and swine were
as good if not superior to any
former exhibition. Poultry was in
numbers and quality away up and
tip top, and the ROSTERS in the
poultry house kept up spirited
contest in lung power. The poultry
exhibit was very fine indeed, and
we learned there is a professional
art in getting up this exhibit. The
fanciers who propose contesting for
the cock and hen prizes, go through
the country, and being experts in
! Judging the points of q fowl pick
the most select birds wherever
found until they have an assert
ment of the very best, then they
start out and exhibit at number
of fairs as prize winners. This
looks like jockey work, but we
don't know but it is the best way
and only way to place on exhibit
ton a line of the very best stock
that can be produced. All is fair
in love and war, horse racing and
country fair exhibits. We once
heard of a lady who captured all
the jelly prizes by making gelatine
jellies and flavoring and coloring
them with the different fruits.
The fakirs were not numerous on
the ground. Only one side show
was any way conspicuous. One
poor fellow was sitting solitary and
alone with a lot Of balls and dolls
to be knocked down by the boys.
We asked him how business was.
Poorest he had ever know-hadn't
taken in a nickle. He was thor
oughly disguised.
The large Hall where the art ex-
hibits are displayed had a fine
selection in that line, and jellies,
preserves and canned goods were in
abundance and made a most "mouth
watering" display.
Farm products, grain and veg
etables of all kinds were large and
qnite superior and arranged with
much skill and taste. There was
also splendid exhibit of fruits
apples, peaches, pears and grapes.
We have witnessed larger collec-
lions in the Hall but never finer.
But alas for the gate fees, the
people to admire were lacking in
numbers. The entire grounds and
buildings looked deserted. Even
the "grand stand" where the races
are viewed from had but sprink-
ling of people, perhaps one hun
dred and fifty or sixty to enjoy the
jockey tricks, where cunning turks
like a fox in the bushes and con,
science is bowed out. The "book
maker' had a crowd about him
and was urging them to "come up
for the first heat" and the "second
heat" while a foxy looking sharp
whispered in his ear and he chalk
ed the numbers opposite each
horses name, frequently changing
them. After the heat or race was
over it was amusing, if one cared
only to look at the ludicrous side of
human nature, while shutting the
moral eye, to see the bettors troop
ing up to the "captain's office" to
have their checks cashed, while the
unlucky one with downcast faces
tore up their tickets, as they
mathematical their luck.
The races had as high as ten
horses, and the tedium of getting IA
ego" is most tantalizing to the
spectators. The horses are trotted
half round the circle and back sew
eral times and then the jockey dis
mounts and the stable man covers
the animal with a heavy blanket,
the thermometer at 1909 in the sun,
and the animal is led round a while,
then the jockey mounts his seat,
the blanket is whipped from the
horse to the shoulder of the stable
man and another spell of coursing
is gone through with. Ever so
much time is spent in getting a
start, the man in the judges stand
ringing them back a half dozen or
more times. When the pool seller
gives the sign that he has caught
all the gulls in sight the man in
the judges stand tells the jockies
to "go," and it doesn't matter
much how ragged the line of horses
is, when the time is up, which is
when the bets are all taken, the
word ego" is given. There is about
as much fun in the performance as
to watch half-a- dozen colts gallop-
ing round a pasture field in the
spring, when they are turned out
to grass, but there is lots more
money in it if there is good assert
ment of goslings for the foxes in
the book-making pavilion.
This is an honest photograph of
the Cecil County Agricultural So
ciety's annual exhibition. 1t is to
be hoped that Tome Institute,