Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/327

 HISTORY OF STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 319 "Exhibition commences at court house at 1 :30 o'clock P. M. Articles Bedquilts, butter, cheese, and other household pro- ductions. Jury W. Breyman, G. H. Stewart, and A. R. Burbank. "Two o'clock P. M. At Marquam's corral. Cattle, sheep, hogs, farm implements, certificates of crops, etc. Jury- Solomon Allen, S. M. Gilmore and F. B. Martin. "Three o'clock, same place. Horses and mules. Jury John A. Monroe, Alvis Kimsey, and Mr. Hankie." The fair occurred on the day appointed, and Ahio S. Watt, who was secretary of the Yamhill County Agricultural So- ciety at the time, reported that prizes were awarded as follows : "To Mrs. K. Davis, for best bedquilt; W. T. Newby, best flour of Oregon manufacture; Clayton Richardson, best acre of wheat; E. T. Stone, best pair of pigs; Charles H. Burch, best bull; Stephen Hussey, best cow, bull calf, and yoke of oxen ; John G. Baker, best stallion ; Joseph R. Young, second best stallion and best brood mare ; S. M. Gilmore, best one-year colt; Daniel Johns, best two-year-old horse; Solomon Allen, best two-year-old filly and best sucking colt; John Monroe, best span of horses ; Barnet Haggart, best single gelding. "A specimen of corn in the ear was exhibited by F. B. Martin, that would compare favorably with that of the best corn-producing countries, both in length and size of ear, and in the apparent quality of the corn. Joseph Watt exhibited a stool of wheat supposed to be the production of one grain of the bluestem variety, that numbered ninety-six full, large heads." Following- this, Yamhill County held annual fairs for a number of years. The next county to fall in line, so far as can at present be determined, was Marion. A preliminary meeting was held on April 6, 1854, with Governor John W. Davis presiding, and Joseph G. Wilson, secretary. Jacob Woodsides, Thomas T. Eyre, David Crawford, Hiram A. Johnson, Samuel Brown, Ralph C. Geer, L. F. Grover, W. J. Herren, and Narcisse Cornoyer, were appointed a committee to prepare a constitu- tion and by-laws. Numerous speeches were made, and an in-