Evening star., 1900-08-18

lent by the imperial ministry of agricuI-
ture and domains. seems limitless in va
riety- A fine exhibit is also made of the
Russian cork industry. a conspicuous fea-
ture being Moscow church made entirely
of cork thoroughly interesting exhibit
Is also made of the great Russian fisheries
embracing odd processes of artificial prop
&gauon of the sturgeon, besides models of
enormous establishments for preserving
fish.
After the French and Russian exhibits
Infinitely the best national displays are
those of the United States, Japan Sweden
Holland, hungary and Canada. The ex-
hlbits OF England. Germany, Spain, Aus
tria, Belgium, Denmark and Roumania are
far below the level of the other countries,
TINS being particularly true of England and
Germany. which excel in many other sec
tons OF the universal exposition.
The United States to the Fore.
As usual, the United States is well to the
fore, and is, indeed, almost unique among
the exhibiting nations in the respect that
her display covers with the utmost impair
tiality the three classes for which the build
ing is designed. Once again she has been
treated with marked favor by the exhibi-
ton authorities, who have allotted to the
United States all the circular space at the
far end of the long gallery, which, for area
and prominence. surpasses that of nearly
all the other countries
When the visitor reaches the American
section he is impressed with the excellent
taste and striking appropriateness of the
decorations and disposition of the exhibits
From ceiling and the walls hang huge fish
ermen nets, implements of the chase, etc.
and the heads Of antlered stays and big
woolly bufaloes add immensely to the
general decorative design. The walls are
partly wainscOted in representative Ameri-
can woods. The collection of American
game birds is the largest in all the vast
building. and there is veritabe menagerie
of the animals of forest, mountain and
prairie.
The piscatorial section is most complete
and interesting. The United States fish
commission is represented by a very COM
prehensive exhibit A model is shown OF a
big fish hatchery on Lake Erie. and
of the car of the commission illustrat-
Ing the methods Of transporting the liv-
ing fish for transplanting, etc. The COM
mission also sends three large show cases
filed with models of every variety Of
American fish. two-thirds of which, even
edible ones, are absolutely unknown to
Europeans.
An admirable exhibit is also sent by the
state of Massachusetts in.the shape of an
enormous model of a Gloucester fishery
representing the port of harbor the
wharves, buildings. fake yards, marine
railway. etc, and lying in the harbor the
different class of craft employed in the
industry.
One large show case is devoted to a
demonstration of the Atlantic coast lob
ster industry. showing the method of catch
LES iHe SuCculenl CruSldCtdn, ana display
ing the life-szed model of the biggest lob
ster ever caught off the New Jersey shore.
which is regarded by European visitors as
a species of sea elephant. A fisherman's
outfit of twenty years ago is shown in COM
parison with the devices employed by him
at this end of the century.
The exhibit of American shotguns and
rifles is thoroughly representative of the
chief manufacturers and dealers through
out al! parts of the United States Many
quaint or picturesque little details invest
their display with exceptional interest. One
Of these, for instance, is steel plate about
fourteen inches long by eight inches wide
and a quarter of an inch in thickness on
which is shown the head of an Indian
chief Upon investiga don one discovers
Label reveals that the plate served as
target At a distance of thirty-five feet
when the artist-marksman blazed away at
il with a certain make Of American rifle
loaded with a small caliber bullet
one corner of the American section Is de-
voted to a display of woods from the United
States. shown by polished and unpublished
slabs. well as by a series of photo
graphs Illustrating the trees in their nat
ural state. The pictures of the gigantic
redwoods of California are naturally. a
never-ending theme of wonder to Euro
peans-
Japan's exhibit like that of the United
States. is wonderfully complete in the sew
eral branches. Her great national fisheries
are elucidated by q series of superbly color
ed plates supplemented by collection of
extraordinary seashells among which Is one
of a japanese oyster that must have been
as big as a year-old baby. Even the most
up-to-date American amateur fisherman
would find things to enlighten and delight
him in the collection of japanese hooks
lines and flies.
The woods of Japan are chiefly repre-
sented by a variegated assortment of reeds