Norwich bulletin., 1915-03-16
MAKING PLANS EARLY
 FOR COMING FAIR
Between Twinges of Neuritis, Secre- tary 5eckwith Discourses on the Farmers Big Event.

Farmers Big Event. |
 William w. Beckwith, secretary of the New London County Agricultural society. has been confined to his home by a very severe attack of neuritis, but is now somewhat improved.
 Although still suffering from this painful malady he nevertheless found time to discourse volubly to an in- terviewer regarding the next county fair. It might seem to some people,
 he said, ''as if it was rather early to talk about an affair that is not to take place until late in the summer, but if you have followed the war news closely you will remember that each of the nations involved in the fray accuses the others of having their plans fully prepared at least a year before they actually came to blows. And so it is with the County Fair | officials. Last year the general con- | sensus of opinion was that the fair
 was a bigger and better one than it's 1 predecessor and so We are starting in | early-lzind of taking the time by the | forelock, as it were-and arranging our plans now.
 | Of course it is altogether too early 1 to say any thing definitely about the | actual programme of the fair but you | can rest assured that 1t is going to | eclipse all previous efforts and make | them seem as far behind the times | as the rude tal1ow candle of our fore l fathers when compared to the incan- l descent lamp of the present day.
 The New London County Fair is | first and last an agricultural fair | and caters directly to the farmers
 They are classed among our best cit | izens-the backbone of our nation.
 The time is past when farmer is
 referred to as "Hayseed" or a
 'fRube" and he should be, and is to- dey, looked up to by intelligent and
 we'll informed people as being among
 our best and most reliable citizens. The time was, when he was the lone
 and lonely inhabitant of the back
 woods or the wide prairie, with noth- | ing but a clearing with a log house or sod hut with it's slowly curling smoke I to mark his whereabouts. Now in II the majority of cases we see him on
 his farm in comfortabye home with T it's large barn and other outbuildings filled to overfiowing with the products II of the fields and the surrounding hills T and pastures dotted with his grazing Il livestock.
 II The American farmer is today sell ing more product and for better prices ,i than ever before. The products of
 our farms during the year just passed were in excess of normal average; the | prices were-in general-in excess of
 the normal.
 Of course it is to be expected that
 the European war has had a depres-
 sing effect upon certain manufactur- 1 ing interests and on the other hand
 a stimulating effect on other indus
 tries: but the farmer should fear no bad results. On the hontrary. never
 in the history of the country has the
 farmer had such an opportunity to go l forward and do things in a big way.
 To be sure, there are a lot of dis gruntled fnanciers going around try ing to place wreath of ivy-poison ivy-on the brow of prosperity and
 telling everyhodys that good times
 are dead. When a thoroughly up-to- date farmer meets one of these calaIn- ity hoWlers he takes out his peashoot-
 CT and shoots him through the place where his brain ought to be with a pea of Optimism.
 :, Last year the total value of the na- tion's agricultural products was ap- : proximately $12,O00,O 100000 and ii should be greater than that this year . Just think of all those hungry mouths on the other side of the globe that will have to be fed and will look to the
 farmers of this country for the food l If every farmer in the United States : would make up his mind to plant 8 little more this year and to raise a
 few more head of stock, the agricul- | tural wealth of our country would be l absolutely inconceivable, at the con- pletion of the years work Raise a few more head of cattle or horses in
 New London county and send a few | of them to the County Fair and see l if we cannot pin a Blue Ribbon on | two of them
 The city folks are beginning to
 realize that their country cousins, with l their perfect brain and brawn deriv- | ed from outdoor exercise in the pure i air, with plenty of hard work, plenty l of sleep, and bill of fare that con- l tains fresh vegetables, eggs, butter
 and all the various fruits and berries,
 with this daily mail service and their l telephones, and so many other modern
 improvements-is it any wonder that | the city men are beginning to cry, | Back to the Land are gaining far
 greater reward for their labors than l the city dWeller does"
 RECEIVER MORAN'S