FAIRS. The systernatic holding of agricul tural fairs is comparatively a modern idea. Fairs as they have existed for a long tirne 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 rnerged 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 exert6d 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 landed 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 cester, 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, had 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 Parlianaent, 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 State§ 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 chanibers 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 thena is im men,se. While eminent citizens of England, in.