Year: 1879

a Virginia Agricultural Fair.


Especial Correspondence Of THE PnuSI1.l


WASHINGTON, D. c., Oct. 4th, 1879.


EditOrs PAgnir: An announcement in the
Washington papers the other morning, of the
holding of the annual fair at Alexandria, Va,
created the desire to see how the farmers of
Fairfax County would compare with their
Northern brethren. 1t is possible that some
of your readers may be interested in hearing
of some of the characteristics of Southern
Agricultural Show. A ride of half an hour
on the Washington and Alexandria Ferry
takes one down the Potomac to the sleepy old
city of ten or twelve thousand inhabitants
which started off in Colonial days as the rival
of Baltimore. but is now content to hold its
own in its meagre trade of corn and tobacco
This it has scarcely done since the war, il
one may judge from its deserted warehouses;
its street which still shows the marks of an
abandoned horse railroad, and its stores pla-
carded For Rent" The numerous flags fly
ing along the way to the fair grounds sug-
gested thoughts of the feeling prevalent there
in G1, which eliminated in Ellsworths muir
der; but a careful search revealed nothing
save the national colors on exhibition now
A local paper, however, picked up during the
day, disclosed the fnct of rivalry between the
militia companies; and the one aggrieved at
not receiving an invitation to the general pa
rade could not forbcar to assert its claim to
sympathy and fellowship on the ground that
many of its members had worn the grey"
1t is evidently hard to root old prejudces out
I'll Al. - ~ l.,
get that Arlington in its best days offered
them its hospitality, aud the estate of Mount
Vernon was tributary to this market. Christ
church still contains the old family pcws
once occupied by representatives from these
two houses, and on each side Of the chaucel
are marble tablets, one in memory Of Wash
ington and the other Of Robert Lee


But the fair itself suggests little of historic
Alexandria, and it is the fair that is leading
us up through the principal street Of the city, a
walk Of twenty minutes, to the crowd of ne
groes with their stands of dirty catables on
the sidewalk against the hot brick buildings,
marking the approach to the grounds. men
ton these stands particularly, because there
was no trace of anything of the sort within.
small boys pocket there would be entirely
free from temptation at any sight of luscious
fruit or sweetmeats One solitary building
bore the announcement Of regular meals fur
nished within. One solitary stand contained
a loud-mouthed auctioneer with his custom
nry assortment of bankrupt stock, and one
solitary mule cart run by two negro boys fur
nished water for the small proportion Of the
crowd of ten thousand which required moth
ing stronger. A thorough exploration of the
grounds disclosed no reason why this social
ed fair could not have been held as well in
the spring of the year as the fall, provided the
track had been in as good condition. There
was neither fruit nor vegetable to be seen.
The exhibit in the main building was confn-
ed to the wares of the shop keepers Of Alex
andria, and even the groccrymen did not ap-
parently deal in fresh vegetables. Beside
Weber piano, an Estey organ was seen bear
ing the card Of a first premium, but won ap-
parently without competition. Outside the
main building there was quite an array Of
agricultural machines, and one entcrprising
nurseryman had displayed fine collection
of trees and shrubs He was doubtless no
Southerner, however for his card bore the
address of Falls Church, the one solitary
New England settlement that has been at
tempted in these parts since the war, There
was poultry house with display about one
fourth the size of that given by the Brattle-
boro association last winter, and in one cor
ner of the grounds small number Of cattle
and horses were to be found. The Jerseys
and Durhams were principally, if not wholly,
xyinipit,s b,,
Northern capital aud enterprise, one of
which has the past few years gained great
reputation and custom in furnishing Wash
ington with fresh butter at II cts. the half
pound ball, buttermilk Mt cts the quart, and
milk at ten cts. One would think they might
afford at these rates to reclaim this impov-
erished Virginia soil, which is considered in
fair condition if it bears few spears of grass
after preliminary trial


The fair evidently had its a attractions, how
ever, for the good looking, good-namred, we'll
dressed, peaceable crowd that found so little
Northerner would expect to see and the
grand stand packed full to its utmost capacity
disclosed the secret. II was horse racing first,
last and all the time, horse racing varied oc-
casionally with that peculiarly Southern in
stitution, "a tournament" There was no
address" of any kind, no buying and selling,
apparently among the farmers, little military
parade. There was a pleasant social gather
ing, placid waiting for the races, and an un-
limited consumption of the vilest tobacco
that ever greeted the uostrils of non-smok-
err. An inquiry into this phenomenon after
wards, disclosed the fact that tine residents of
these tobacco growing regions smoke the
pure weed in its cheaper and more pungent
grades, thus bringing an intliction upon
peaceable citizens from which we at the
North happily escape through an adulteratiou
of the article, This certainly may be account
ed not least among the characteristics favora-
BILE to a crowd gathered in a higher latitude.
1t is possible that this fair at Alexandria does
not justly represent the farming enterprise of
this vicinity. An horticultural show, held
here in Washington few weeks before, may
account for the absence of fruits and vegeta-
bles there, Certainly the regular markets in
the city give indication that there are abund-
ant sources of supply somewhere near. 1t is
quite probable that in this, as in many other
instances, more information might have been
gained a little nearer home.


G. II. MERRILL.


In the heart of a large pine tree recently
felled at Mechanics Falls, Me, was found