WASHINGTON COUNTY. The Fifteenth Annual Fair of the Washington County Agricultural and Mechanical Association was held on the society's grounds on the 3d and 4th of October, 1860. The Fair was a complete success. The exhibition of horses, cattle and fruit was never before so large. Every year shows a steady improvement. Improvements have been added to the grounds. The flood of April swept over the grounds, causing considerable damage: the repairs for the flood alone costing some four hundred dollars. RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES. ........ $1,618 50 1,604 80 Receipts, including balance on hand from last year.... Balance in treasury. $13 70 OFFICERS FOR 1861.-George Dana, Jr., President; John Newton, Vice Presi dent; Samuel C. Skinner, Secretary; C. K. Leonard, Treasurer. DirectorsN. R. Putnam, N. L. Rolston, G. W. Barker, O. S. Chapman, Darius Tousley, S. F. Seeley and Robert Pugh. WAYNE COUNTY. The Board of Managers of the Wayne County Agricultural Society, in compli ance with the law, respectfully report: That the Eleventh Annual Fair of this society was held October 3d, 4th and 5th, 1860, on the Fair grounds of the society, which have been vastly improved the present year by the erection of a large and permanent building, additional stalls, &c. The usual number of persons were in attendance, and much interest manifested. About one thousand entries were made; all the departments being fully represented. Eight hundred dollars awarded in premiums. The society numbers about five hundred members. This society is considered in a highly flourishing condition; its beneficial results are apparent throughout the county. There was but one premium awarded on field crops, and that to Emmit Eddy, for the best acre of upland corn product965 bushels, 70 lbs. to the bushel. The field from which this acre was harvested is mostly of a gravely soil, interspersed with layers of clayey loam, clover sod; applied twenty-five loads of barn-yard manure per acre last spring; plowed eight inches deep the latter part of April; well harrowed before planting; planted sixth of May; furrowed both ways, four feet apart; three stalks in a hill; worked three times with cultivator and twice with the shovel-plow; no hoeing; plastered once at the rate of 30 lbs. per acre; the corn is of the variety known as the Lancaster county corn. The principal agricultural products of the county are wheat, corn, hay, oats, clover seed, potatoes and fruit; all of which produced a fair average crop the past season. Horses, cattle and hogs are raised extensively, and sold to eastern buyers. Butter and eggs enter largely into the products of the county. OFFICERS FOR 1860.-President, William Taggert; Vice President, John Hurdman; Secretary, James Johnson; Treasurer, John McClellan. Managers-Amos Brown, Silas Funk, R. R. Donally, G. P. Emerick and Thomas Doty. WILLIAMS COUNTY. Our fifth annual Fair was held at Bryan, on the 3d, 4th and 5th days of October, A. D. 1860, and though the number of persons in attendance was estimated variously at from seven to nine thousand, yet all agree that it was far greater than ever before assembled in the county. Excellent order prevailed, and all seemed anxious to enjoy the fine weather, and help to render their Fair, at the close of a year of health and bountiful harvests, alike pleasant and profitable for the present and encouraging for the future. The number of our entries were as follows: Horses, 357; cattle, 67; all other articles, 486; total, 910. The number of members, 319. Our Board meetings are regularly held and well attended; the expenses of enlarging the grounds and ring, purchasing tent (60 by 90 feet), &c., cheerfully voted, and the wisdom of these expenditures now admitted by all. The principal agricultural products of the county are wheat, corn, oats, hay and clover-seed. Wheat crop of 1860 unusually good-both white and red varieties-and neither midge nor other insects to do material injury. Estimated crop, 300,000 bushels, at an average of 18 or 20 bushels per acre. Price, about $1 per bushel. Corn, of all varieties (except where the first planting upon spring plowed sod ground was destroyed by cut-worms), in both yield and quality, excellent. Estimated crop, 500,000 bushels, at an average of 40 bushels per acre-worth 40 cents. Oats fine-say 100,000 bushels-worth 20 cents. Hay good; have no accurate means of judging the number of tons; but it is great-probably the most important crop in the county; worth from $5 to $18. Clover-seed, an important and rapidly increasing branch of farming, finding ready cash market at $5 per bushel, for the sandy openings of Michigan and Indiana. Potatoes, fair in yield and quality; no rot; worth 18 cents. Rye, barley and buckwheat, fair crops, but not extensively cultivated. Sorghum grows quite as well and endures frost better than Indian corn, yet does not prove as profitable as anticipated, and think many of our people will re turn to their old Indian sugar camps, of which there are many and fine ones especially in the northern portions of the county. Fruit mostly good, though for the first time somewhat injured by some insect. Experience proves that, save peach and English cherry, fruit trees of all kinds. grow and bear rapidly and reliably. Horses of all kinds, from the pony-riding to the heavy Pennsylvania draft horse, with their grades, upon the whole a hardy and valuable stock of animals. Cattle. The adjoining county of Hillsdale is one of the best in the State of Michigan for pure Devon stock, affording fine opportunities for improvement in that direction; while several valuable Durhams from central Ohio and Kentucky, are materially improving our stock of cattle. Hogs. No branch of farming is more general or remunerative than swineraising, and in nothing is there a greater improvement; at the present rate of increase in value and numbers, we will soon become one of the leading pork regions of the State. Sheep, some good ones, but too many "coon dogs" for intelligent farmers to risk much with them, when cattle and swine are nearly as profitable, and far less hazardous. Mules not common. Ponies are nearly as good to kick, and eat brush and thistles, and we still have many of them, or their grades. No movement has ever produced more marked, general or satisfactory results in this county than our agricultural fairs; and our people manifest a general determination to not disgrace, but rapidly develop the material resources of our rolling, fertile, finely watered and timbered country. We also hope a Pioneer's Association, now organizing, will become a valuable auxiliary to ours, in render ing accessible, in an attractive form, the practical experience in clearing, ditching and tilling our county by its first generation of settlers. Receipts Expenditures... RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES. $823 10 823 10 OFFICERS.-P. W. Norris, President; Jacob Dillman, B. T. Combs, VicePresidents; W. N. Noble, Treasurer; T. M. Cose, Secretary. Managers—G. R. Joy, A. G. Richardson, Lemuel Allen, Amos Betts, Thomas Hodson. Col. Wm. Miller, Marshal; Col. Wm. Stough, Assistant Marshal. WYANDOT COUNTY. Our ninth annual Fair was held on the 10th, 11th and 12th days of October. The weather was too cold to be pleasant, and from this reason the Fair was not as well attended as it otherwise would have been. Notwithstanding this the number of entries were larger than that of any previous year. The receipts were about the same as in 1859, being larger for that year than ever before. The display of horses, cattle and sheep was excellent. We think our stock department would compare favorably with any county in northwestern Ohio; our farmers have taken a great deal of pains to improve their stock, many of them procuring the finest that can be had, until our sheep and cattle are as good as are in the State. Here we might mention Messrs. Starr, Karr and Carey, who deserve the thanks of the community for their praisworthy efforts in this behalf, besides many others who are following their good example. The Mechanical and Fine Art departments were rather neglected, so that there was some dissatisfaction amongst that class of persons who attend fairs merely to see and be seen. As a general thing, however, our Fair was a success. Our grounds now consist of eight acres of ground, finely located, about one mile north of upper Sandusky, upon which there is a beautiful grove of oak shade trees. It is the intention of the Board to purchase four or five acres in addition to what they already have, which we think will make ours as convenient and pleasant Fair grounds as are in the State. Our society is in a flourishing condition, as will appear from the following exhibit of the RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES. Amount in treasury from 1859.... Amount received for tickets..... $144 45 231 00 346 50 |