Fairs

FAIRS. The systematic holding of agricul tural fairs is comparatively a modern idea. Fairs as they have existed for a long time in Europe, have been until lately, devoted almost solely to barter and sale. During the last century these have steadily dwindled in importance, as com merce and better systems of trade began to bring every article of use more immediately to the purchaser, until now but very few fairs of this class are held. In the disposition of highly bred stock, annual auction sales are among the means used to get rid of surplus animals, and now, under the direction of agricultural and horticul tural societies, National, State, county, district, and even township fairs are held for the display of all agricultural, mechanical, manufactured and art products. The rise and progress of these fairs is interesting and instructive, and the con templation of the improvements made from year to year, in all that constitutes the result of human energy, is a most valuable study. It is but little more than 150 years since the establishment of the first agricultural society in Great Britain, but in 1723, there was established, in Scotland, a society to which its founders gave the name of Improvers in the Knowledge of Agriculture. It became extinct in 1755, but was succeeded by another, which was merged into the Highland Agricultural Society. This association, in 1787 received a royal charter, and in 1834, it was re chartered. Annual fairs were thenceforward. held, at each of which premiums were given to the amount of £10,000. In Ireland, an agricul tural society was established in 1747. From the influence exerted the members of this organi zation many others sprang up in various parts of the island, which were productive of great ben efit, not only among the aristocratic lauded gen try, for whom all these earlier organizations were instituted, but also among the small pro prietors and tenant farmers, and, indirectly, among the laborers themselves. In 1777, The Bath Agricultural Society, of England, was organized, having for its aim the encouragement of agriculture, arts, manufactures, and com merce, in the counties of Somerset, Wilts, Glou rester, and Dorset. Through its volumes, pub lished yearly, it disseminated a vast amount of practical information relative to the culture of the various crops then grown, and especially of those recently introduced. The breeding of cat tle, horses, sheep, swine, and other stock, was fully treated of in their reports, which also con tained much valuable data concerning manufac tures, both general and as relating to agricul ture, arts, and commerce. Among the contribu tions to its literature we find such names as Dr. Falconer, Dr. Campbell, Sir Christopher Haw kins, Hobhouse, Arthur Young, M. DeSaussaure, Dr. J. Anderson, Dr. Fothergill, Rev. Alexander Campbell, Count DeBerchtold, Gen. Abercrom bie, and other eminent men of the day. This shows the interest taken in agriculture, in Eng land, almost a century ago, by the best minds. This interest has borne abundant fruit, in making England, to-day, for the number of acres culti vated, the most productive country in the world, both as to the variety of staples grown and the quantities obtained yearly from the soil We find, by the transactions of the Bath Agricultural Society, for the year 1810, that there were then in Great Britain (besides the board of agricul ture, of which Sir John Sinclair was president and no less a person than Arthur Young, Esq., secretary,) eighty-one agricultural societies in regular working order; and to show that they believed, also, in women's rights, we might point to the fact that one of them, the Badenach and Strathspey Society, bad a woman for presi dent, in the person of the celebrated Duchess of Gordon. The Royal Agricultural Society, of Eng land, which has exerted so wide-spread and ben eficial an influence upon agriculture throughout the civilized world, was founded in 1838, and adopted for its motto, Practice with Science. Within seven years it had established, or had been the means of establishing, four hundred other societies; one hundred and fifty of these being practical farmers' clubs. Ten years later, in 1855, the societies and clubs amounted to over seven hundred. The most important of these clubs, the London Central Farmers' Club, became so firmly rooted, was so thoroughly supported, and its influence was so widely felt, that it received the appellation of the Bridge Street Parliament, and gave rise to the aphorism by a celebrated English statesman, that neither our fleets, how ever, well manned, nor our armies, however val orous, nor our diplomacy, however successful, can do so much as the plow. This society like many agricultural societies in the United States holds annual exhibitions, which are peripatetic in their nature, and the distinction of being sel ected as the place for the yearly show is a much coveted one. In most of the counties of Eng land, there are county agricultural societies, which, also, hold annual exhibitions. These societies, as a rule, are in a healthy condition, and of great value to the farmers; but, now, the recognized representatives of the farming inter ests are the chambers of agriculture, composed of landlords, farmers, grain merchants, and others concerned in interests connected with the soil. There is a Central Chamber, subordinate to which are County Chambers; and these, in turn, are the superiors of the local or district Chambers. These organizations are of comparatively recent growth, and the interest taken in them is im mense. While eminent citizens of England, in the last century, were seeking, by every legiti mate means, to foster the interests of agriculture, a corresponding class in the then infant States of America were not idle. Manufactures at that day were comparatively unknown, or only in their infancy. Then the foremost men of the nation were farmers, and derived their revenue directly from the soil Of those engaged in the various professions of life, many still clung to the pursuit of their youth, and gave their farms their personal supervision. A large proportion of the heroes of the Revolution left the plow for the battle-field, and when the war was over returned again to their peaceful art The first agricultural society ever incorporated in Amer ica was that established in South Carolina, in 1785, called the Society for the Promotion of Agriculture. Its objects included the institution of a farm for experiments in agriculture, and the importation and distribution of foreign produc tions suited to the climate of that State. Another prominent object was to direct the attention of farmers and planters to the economies connected with the agriculture of the State, and to enlist them generally in the improvement of their con dition. The society accomplished an excellent work, among other things, that of introducing the cultivation of the olive and the vine into the State. Societies for the promotion of agriculture were always regarded by the planters and states men of the South as being of the first importance; and naturally so, for the reason that agriculture always was the dominant—in fact, almost the exclusive—interest there; more than this, how ever, from the settlement of the country until about 1860, it was confined to special products, as, at first, tobacco, then cotton, and, later, sugar; these, with blooded horses and cattle, comprising the chief sources of wealth of the southern planter. In the earlier history of the South, her clubs and societies were composed of men of wealth and position, and, like the earlier kindred societies of Great Britain, were exclusive in their nature. More recently, agricultural societies in the South have taken on a more popular character., and the last ten years has witnessed a wonderful increase in the number of clubs and similar organizations, which have had the effect to re-awaken interest in this rich and diversified portion of our common country. It is to he hoped that this will be the, means of developing the immense resources of this fertile region. A Society for the Advancement of Agri culture was incorporated in New York in 1791, but it became defunct after a brief existence of ten years. In 1792, the Legislature of the same State incorporated another organization, under the title of the Society for the Promotion of Agriculture, Manufactures, and Arts, and again, in 1804, a Society for the Promotion of Useful Arts, in the recital of which arts, agriculture is first named. This society published seven vol umes of Transactions previous to 1815. A National Agricultural Society early occupied the attentiou of leading minds in theUn ited States, and as early as 1794, Washington, then President of the United States, began to interest himself in the matter. In relation to this society we find that a letter was addressed by him to Sir John Sinclair, on the 20th of July,1794, and contains the following reference to this subject: It will be some time, I fear, before an agricultural society,with congressional aid, will be established in this country. We must walk, as other countries have, before we can run; smaller societies must prepare the way for greater, but, with the lights before us, I hope we shall not be so slow in maturation as older nations have been. An attempt, as you will perceive by the inclosed outlines of a plan, is making to establish a State Society in Pennsylvania for agricultural improve ments. If it succeeds, it will be a step in the ladder; at present, it is too much in embryo to decide upon the result. The first proposition for the establishment of such an institution was made by Washington, in his annual speech, delivered on the 7th of December, 1796, when he met the two Houses of Congress for the last time. Then a committee of the House of Representatives made a report, on the 11th of January, following, recommending the institution of a society for that purpose, under the patronage of the govern ment, which might act as a common center to all other societies of a similar kind throughout the United States. The report is accompanied

by a plan, the principal articles of which are that a society shall be established at the seat of government; that it shall comprehend the Legis lature of the United States, the Judges, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the. Secretary of War, the Attorney General, and such other persons as may choose to become members, according to the rules prescribed ; that an annual meeting shall be held at the seat of government, at which are to be elected the president, secretary, etc., and a board, to consist of not more than thirty persons, which shall be called the Board of Agriculture; that the society shall be a body corporate; and that a report shall be made annually. The first national associa tion of this description was the Columbian Agricultural Society for the promotion of rural and domestic economy, which was organized by a convention held in Georgetown, District of Columbia, on the 28th of November, 1809. The first agricultural exhibition in America was the National Fair held by this society at the Union Hotel, in Georgetown, District of Columbia, on the 10th of May, 1810. Among other premiums awarded were three, of $100, $80, and $60, respectively, for two-toothed ram lambs, show ing the grPat importance attached at that early day to improving the breed of sheep. At this exhibition it is recorded that President Madison wore his inauguration coat, made from the Merino wool of Colonel Humphrey's flock, and waistcoat and small clothes made from the wool of the Livingston flock, at Clermont. The first field trial of implements in America was the plowing match at the fifth semi-annual exhibition of the Columbian Society, on the 20th of May, 1812. The war with England, which occurred at that time, overshadowed everything else; and, after holding a sixth successful exhibition, on the 18th of November, 1812, the time for which the society had been organized (three years) hav ing expired, it was dissolved at the close of that year. Its successful exertions in awakening a more general interest in the various departments of husbandry, not only in the immediate vicinity of its exhibitions, but in the adjacent States, merit a grateful remembrance by the agricultur ists of America. On the 14th of June, 1852, a National Agricultural Convention was held at the Smithsonian Institution, in the city of Washington, under a call issued by the following agricultural societies, at the instance of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture; The Massa chusetts State Board of Agriculture; Pennsyl vania State Agricultural Society ; Maryland State Agricultural Society ; New York State Agricul tural Society; Southern Central Agricultural Society; Ohio State Board of Agriculture; American Institute, New York ; Massachusetts Society for the Promotion of Agriculture; Indiana State Board of Agriculture ; New Hampshire Agricultural Society ; Vermont Agri cultural Society ; and the Rhode Island Society for the Encouragement of American Industry. The convention was composed of one hundred and fifty-three delegates, representing twenty three States and Territories. Among those who were present during its sessions were Fillmore, President, and Daniel Webster, Secretary of State. The objects of the society, as declared by the preamble to its constitution, were, to improve the agriculture of the country, by attracting attention, eliciting the views, and confirming the efforts of that great class composing the agricul tural community, and to secure the advantages of a better organization, and more extended use fulness among all State, county, and other agricultural societies. The first fair of the Society was held at Springfield, Mass., in 1854, and thereafter yearly until the outbreak of the late war, when the practical efforts of the Society ceased, it having been found that the State fairs had grown into such magnitude as to eclipse its efforts. In 1870 an organization was perfected, in New York, to establish a National Board of Agriculture, but up to this time the organization has held no fairs, and has not gone beyond the preliminary stages of organization. From the fact that now every notable district, and counties hold annual fairs, and from the fact that from this cause our State fairs, many of them, are losing in their attractions, the proba bility is that an Annual National Fair could not be successfully sustained without outside aid. The New York State Agricultural Society held its first regular fair in 1840, the sum of twelve and a half cents being charged as admission. Since that time the society has grown in magnitude year by year, and the legislature being finally roused to action, through the able pen of the lamented Judge Buel, and the efforts of his contemporaries it soon became the first of the agricultural fairs of the nation. The American Institute Farmers' Club, founded in 1843, had a more than usually active career for thirty years, or until the summer of 1873, when, from various causes, many of them of chronic standing,it ceased to hold its regular meet ings. During the first twenty years of its existence, it effected a vast amount of good and, through its published transactions and the newspaper press, exercised an immense influence, reaching over the whole country. It has numbered many emi nent men among its members, and its fairs, held annually in New York city, have always excited much interest. But far back, beyond any of these societies, Massachusetts may claim the honor of success, in offering prizes for the advancement of agriculture. In 1803 the trustees of the Massachu setts Society for Promoting Agriculture, offered among others, the following premiums: To the person who shall discover a cheap and effectual method of destroying the canker-worm, a pre mium of $100, or the society's gold medal. For a heap of best compost manure from the common materials of the farm—of not less than 200 tons —with a description of the method, $50. For the most thrifty trees from seed, not less than 600, and not less than at the rate of 2,400 per acre, of oak, ash, elm, sugar-maple, beech, black and yel low birch, chestnut, walnut, or hickory, $25; or, if all of oak, $50; to be claimed on or before October 1, 1806. For accurate analyses of the constituent parts of several fertile soils, respec tively so of poor soils, and how, by actual experi ment, to remedy the evils, so that it can be prac common farmers, $50. And if it shall appear to the satisfaction of the trustees, that the improvement is more than. equal to the expense, then an additional $100. From the beginnings thus sketched, agricultural societies and farmers' clubs have multiplied and spread, until now there are none of the States, and but few of the terri tories, which are destitute of more or less organi zations of this character. These hold annual fairs, and distribute large amounts in premiums yearly, embracing the entire scope of agricultural and horticultural art, and domestic manufactures. Agricultural societies are in active operation in nearly every county of the Northern States. In the South, the popular interest in these matters is spreading and deepening steadily. It should be but a few years, at most, before this section of the Union will be enabled to organize societies as generally as have the East and West. In horti culture, its votaries have not been derelict, but have fully kept pace with agricultural societies which, even to-day, are largely stock and imple ment shows. In 1840 the American Pomological Society was formed. Their sessions are biennial, their meetings are attended by the most eminent horticulturists of the Union, and their exhibitions are contributed to by the various State horticul tural societies. This organization, in connec tion with the State horticultural societies, has aided most materially in fostering correct hor ticultural knowledge, and in keeping alive a spirit of progress. Now, nearly every State in the Union has an active working society. In 1876 there were reported, as in active operation, agricultural societies in the States named below. Of these, as stated before, the oldest are the Society for the Promotion of Agriculture, estab lished in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1785; the Massa chusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, Boston, Mass., in 1792, and the Agricultural Society of South Carolina, Charleston, S. C., in 1795. Dividing the American century into four parts, the number of societies now in existence were organized as follows: From 1776 to 1801, inclusive, 3; from 1802 to 1826, 16; from 1827 to 1851, 375; and from 1852 to 1876, over 1,500. The number of societies in the various States are reported for 1880 as follows: Ala bama, 13; Arkansas, 15; California, 16; Colo rado, 5; Connecticut, 47; Dakota Territory, 3; Delaware, 10; District of Columbia, 5; Georgia, 77; Illinois, 133; Indiana, 99; Indian Territory, 1; Iowa, 144; Kansas, 106; Kentucky, 33; Lou isiana, 9; Maine, 49; Maryland, 27; Massachu setts, 74; Michigan, 70; Minnesota, 43; Missis sippi, 11; Missouri, 86; Montana, 1; Nebraska, 35; New Hampshire, 21; New Jersey, 23; Nevada, none reported; New York, 153; North Carolina, 27; Ohio, 138; Oregon, 7; Pennsyl vania, 94; Rhode Island, 6; South Carolina, 10; Tennessee, 55; Texas, 41; Utah, 33; Vermont, 25; Virginia, 36; Washington Territory, 10; West Virginia, 11; Wisconsin, 81. Of these the principal State and district societies appro priate large sums, as premiums yearly, running even to $60,000 in the case of the St. Louis Fair Association. Illinois gives about $20,000 yearly, and some other States as much. The interest, however, is annually centering in dis trict and local fairs, each managed by a business corporation, as in the case of the St. Louis Fair Association, and it is beginning now to be seri ously argued before our various State Depart ments of Agriculture, whether their efforts for the advancement of agriculture may not be more legitimately employed than in the running of fairs as a source of revenue.