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Show Hogs at the Fairs. It can not bo denied that exhibits of swlno nt tho small nnd large fairs of tho country hnvo dono a great doal of good In tcnchlng farmers tho types of tho various puro breeds of swluo aud in stimulating them to attempt tho Improvement Im-provement of their homo herd and fully develop tho pigs by adequate, feeding nnd good care, such ns Is given to show animals by tho professional profes-sional oxhlbltor and his assistants. It Is no less true that tho exhibits nt most of the state fairs aro growing unwieldy un-wieldy nnd less Instructive to visitors than would bo tho caso were CO or 60 per cent of tho animals excluded, from tho exhibition. Brooders evidently bring far mora hogB to tho fair than thoy havo any Intention of showing, and indeed many nun show but thrco or four hogs out ol an entry of perhaps per-haps ten to twenty head. This, wo think, Is correct, but wo may bo a little q(T ns to exact figures. The prlnclplo is at least correct, In that many of tho hogs entered aro not brought forward for competition, but aro merely brought to tho fair with tho hopo of finding a purchaser. This is all right for tho brcodor and perhaps per-haps good for tho prospective buyer In a few Instances, but It is not for tho general good of the visitor, who wants tho best possible cbanco to see tho best hogs nnd comparo thorn, so that ho may learn correct lessons as to best types and improvements that aro boing made from year, to year In tho various breeds of swlno. Times aro changing. Tho tlmo was was whon tho number of head of swine at a show was takon as tho criterion of success. Tho management enrao to tho conclusion that whero a great many breeders and a vast number d swlno enmo together thoro surolj would bo tho best possible aggrega tlon of swlno for tho education of th farming public. But they erred In this estimate for wo havo seen a beU tor show of Bwlno whero but two ol thrco hundred wcro exhibited than was tho caso whero a thousand head crowded tho buildings to ovorflow.ss. When but a fow hundred wero shown they wcro tho pick of the brooders'' home lot of hogs. Now that many-hundreds many-hundreds aro shown a fow of them aro fine specimens, and tho majority are of medium or Inferior quality and brought forward to soil. It Is good that tho breeder has an opportunity to sell his hogs at the stato fair, but 11 Is unfortunato that the present raothod of exhibiting allows tho oxhlbltor ox-hlbltor to fill any number of pens he enros to pay for and with any kind of hog ho fancies will 'sell to good advantage. ad-vantage. Wo do not dcslro to cur tail tho opportunities of tho brooder, but we do wish to lmprovo thoso o( tho visitor and student. To this end tho management of every fair should set apart accommodations accommo-dations for hogs Intended'for sale, but not for show. Tho houses tor show hoes should bo kont clean, woll dis infected, deodorized and ventilated, so that visitors may go tho rounds In comfort, and tho hogs bo less exposed to the ruvuges of contagious disease. Into theso show houses a single ex-hlbUor ex-hlbUor should not bo allowed to put mora than sufllclont swine to give him ono, or at most, two or three, candidates candi-dates for honors In each orent. Wore this dono tho visitor could then mako an Intelligent' study of tho winners, and, by looking nt tho pick of the swine, would best cducato himself to Improvements tnklng placo In types and among tho different breeds. rrhe work of tho Judges would also bo greatly lessened, for It takes tlmo to weed out tho poor hogs until tho good ones remain to bo given tho prizes. Another necessary Improvement in connection with tho exhibition of hogs nt tho stato fairs Is better dralnago of tho sites of tho hog houses. At some fairs should a rain come, tho ground about tho hog houses is speedily speed-ily trampled to n mush nnd visitors can not got about comfortably wlth-4 out rubber boots, Jt would bo a comparatively com-paratively easy matter to properly drain such places and to provide sidewalks side-walks built high enough above thov ground to keep them from becoming wator-loggcd and mud-covoreU during a wet spell. Lastly it will bo well when hogs can bo housod according to classes as,, well as breeds, but much slmplor things hnvo to bo properly at- tonded to beforo such a radical measure meas-ure as this can bo instituted. A S Alexnndor in Farmers' Reviow. i The Cream Separator. In this modern ago no man can, afford to hold to tho old ways' of doing things If ho can find a better way. Tho man that has ten cows or more certainly can not afford to bo without a cream separator. sep-arator. Wo do not say hand sop- arntor, for a power separator is bot-tor, bot-tor, as tho wind or somo othor mechanical me-chanical power can bo harnessed toi It. Tho baud separator is bettor than-'no than-'no soparator, but with wind poweft' gasollno power and steam power all nrounti ub, to say nothing of hy't-draullc hy't-draullc power, it is a pity thoy can not bo used. Wo ndvlso every farmer, that has a good sized herd of cdw.p to tako lib pencil, sit down and flg uro out tho profit and loss of both. ways of doing buslnoss. ;) fa, Tho small grower of fruit can roach his customers personally. Tho lorgj grower of fruit cannot. This Is wheG the small growor has the ndvantnJ over tho large growor. 1 |