The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-08-20
THE F1LL FAIRS.

to be growing interest in both State |
and county fairs In many of our
States, appropriations ara made for all |
these fairs, and it is we'll that it |
should be so, as the money thus set |
aside goes to pay those who produce
and exhibit the best of every thing that |
is shown. This is recognition by |
the State of individuals who benefit |
us all by demonstrating that it is pos
sible to have better farm products of |
all kinds than we have formerly pro-
duced. These fairs local and State,
are in sense yearly educational gath
erings, or at least they should be,
where we all can go and see what inn
provements have been made, where we
may have the opportunity of seeing
the best of verything, and of learn
ing how it was produced. In this way
our fair displays should benefit all
who are interested in the products of
the farm.
The poultry exhibitions of the world
were started in the public inns of
England by the weavers who gathered
at these resorts occasionally, to eX-
hibit their finest hens, usually Ham
burgs. Only hens were shown-some
say because the cocks were too noisy
others because all the real beauty and
value of the Hamburg is in the pro-
Queer Here was an instance of an
effort to benefit by showing to all who
would come the very best hens in the
neighborhood. If we would follow in
their footsteps, and show to the world
the very best fowls in the neighbour
hood, State, or country, we should be
doing our duty not only to our neigh
bors, but to the poultry interest of the
whole world
No other interest has gained as much
as has the poultry interest of our
country. No other live stock interest
compares with it, More good solid
cash goes into the pockets of the pro.
ducers of poultry and eggs than comes
from any other live stock interest.
How many fresh laid eggs will it take
to have as much cash from their sale
as of can of milk? How many hens
must we have to gain as great returns
as come from a dairy COW? Do we
fully understand that keeping hens
may pay off our mortgages and enrich
our land more quickly than COWS will
do this? While this is true, we should
not have all hens and no COWS, but we
should have both, and of both we
should have the very best possible to
have and both should be shown to the
public at the fair.
There are many products of the farm
that can be disposed of through the
| COWS, and the hens will also pay the
best if made use of to work off other
! products. A few hogs or sheep may
add value when worked in with these.
In fact, all these, if properly handled,
will prove to be tenfold better for the
| farm and for the owner than will any
manufactured fertilizer on earth
| Each of these will in their turn bring
ready cash into your pocket, none of
them more regularly than will the
hen. This fact is becoming more gen.
orally understood, and thousands are
seeking for better stocks of poultry to-
day, where but a few formerly paid
any attention to them.
Many who have even better fowls
than gain prizes at oar fall fairs neg
lect to exhibit their stock, and allow
others to gain all the benefit in pres
ent and future sales. just because they
will not go after the business. Today
people buy the best they see, but little
attention is given to that which is
kept out of sight. If those who can,
would come as individual exhibitors
of their special breeds of poultry, the
day of the professional exhibitor woulu
| be at an end, and the individual would
| gain the benefit. 1t is very poor pol =
icy to stand back with your hands in
yJur pockets and complain that some
one has come from afar and won all
the prizes. when if you had done your
duty to the cause you would show bet
ter, win the honors, and gain the BEN
eft.
1t is the extensive gathering of in
dividual exhibitors that makes the
fair interesting. 1t is the meeting to-
gether of these individuals that makes
the exhibit valuable to each exhibitor
We hear so much of the Hagerstown
md. fair, simply because the man
agement do so much to make the fair
attractive to exhibitors. This brings
to them large number of individual
exhibitors, all of whom go away and
talk Hagerstown, the whole year, and
the next year there are more present
than before. While it is the duty of
the individual to exhibit his poultry,
and while it is to his interest to do
so, we find in our travels that the best
attended fairs, the fullest departments,
and the best returns financially, come
to the fair associations that are most
liberal to exhibitors, not in the
awards paid, but in the consideration
and attention given them. Special
consideration softens defeat; the recol-
lection of a pleasant time prompts us
to come again. In this way are built
up the largest and most profitable