The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-10-15
The Thinkers.


Az
in full blast and will continue until
we'll into October. The fair, when
rightly conducted, is a good thing,
and has perhaps done towards
agricultural progress than anything
outside of che agricultural press. 1t
is a rendezvous where farmers and
their wives and families can gather
to compare notes, in competition ex-
hibit their best products, tell or
learn how they yer produced n
made and examine the many new in
ventions which busy brains are JON
stantly evolving to expedite farm
work and tighten labor. This isRor
should be the central object of the
fair.
The commercial feature is also
quite proper when kept within
bounds of this central object. 1t is
quite within the scope of the fair for
manufacturers and dealers in farm
and household implements to exhibit
and take orders for their wares also
for the breeder to exhibit his stock
and induce his n~eighbors to improve
their herds and focks by buying of
his best also for the breeder Of bet
ter varieties of corn, grain and veg6-
tables to show the fruits of his pains
taking, also to induce his neighbors
to increase the yield of their farms
by buying of his stock Of better
varieties. These all contribute to
agricultural progress and therefore
are legitimate.
The business farmer does not go
to the fair to be amused, but to ex-
hibit and to learn, and frequently to
decide upon and buy that which will
be useful and profitable to him in
his business.
When the central object of the
fair is diverted from this purpose to
mere amusement it becomes a hippo
drome after the circus order and
should, and doubtless does, lose cast
with thoughtful farmers. The man
agement of such fairs are more in
terested in attracting the rabble to
swell gate receipts than in promoting
agricultural progress, and in so doing
lose sight of the principal object of
the fair.
Some amusements IRE proper and
quite within the SCOPE of the fair,
such as speeding road horses, when
conducted without the gambling at
tachment. From such speed rings
professional horse jockeys and their
stock should be strictly excluded.
Also exhibitions OF driving teams,
riding horses, we'll trained horses,
etc because such competition is as
legitimate and contributes to agri-
cultural progress quite as much rs
competition among breeders in other
lines or in vegetables, machinery, etc.
Worse still, when the management
in order to swell it's receipts, licenses
all kinds of fakes, and gambling de
vices, and dens to fleece the unwary.
Such things r purely robbing de-
vices. The management oould with
equal propriety license hold, up men
and pickpockets. The excuse is,
without the receipts from such
licenses and the gate receipts from
the rabble who attend fairs to be
amused and to gamble, the fair
would not be a financial success
This statement we doubt. The cost
of the amusements and big sums paid
in purses to attract professional
horse jockey eat up any additional
receipts drawn from such illegiti-
mate sources. Added to this is the
loss of receipts from decent people
and business farmers who do not
care to patrOnize hippodromes and
gambling dens.
The farmers should take the mat
ter into their own hands and see to
it that the county, district and State
fairs are confined within the scope
of their original object, and boycott
both with exhibits and presence all
gambling hippodromes and fake in
tested so called fairs sailing under
the name of agriculturaI.-Farm and
Fireside.
WY WV