Of the various samples of Rye, all were esteemed good, and some of great excellence. The greatest weight was sixty-three pounds and a half to the bushel

Of Oats there were several samples of superior quality, weighing from thirty-eight to forty-two pounds to the bushel. The Poland variety of this important grain gave the greatest weight per bushel.

There were several samples of Buckwheat of fine quality, the greatest weight being fifty pounds to the bushel. The practice of weighing the samples of grain presented for competition is a useful one, and much to be commended, for it puts us in possession of important 'statistical information. I therefore hope the practice will be continued.

In this connection it will be proper to state that there was an exceedingly large quantity of flour and meal, much larger, indeed, than I have ever seen at any preceding Fair. In quality nothing could be finer; two samples were prepared with surprising care, and perhaps surpassed any thing of the kind that has ever before been made in this country. There were many other samples of great excellence, and so nearly alike in quality that it was found to be difficult to distinguish any difference between them. I mention this fact in justice to exhibiters, as well as to show the closeness of the competition, and the great care which must have been bestowed upon the preparation of these samples of Flour.

Of Meal, the display was large, but the quality various. It so happened that the meal that was best dried was not the best in quality; and the best meal on exhibition was not dried at all. Of the two methods of steam drying and kiln drying, it seems to be admitted that steam drying by Stafford's process, possesses the greatest advantages, and accomplishes the purpose most effectually; and it cannot but be regretted that a process possessing so many merits should have been exhibited on a meal that was considered only second rate in quality. This subject is one of the very first importance, even in a national point of view, and should not for a moment be lost sight of. When we shall have succeeded in discovering some process of thoroughly drying meal, so as to prevent the occurrence of any chemical change, and at the same time preserve all its nutritive qualities,

we shall have secured a permanent foreign market for a product which we can raise in vast abundance and in the greatest perfection. It may be that this process has already been discovered; indeed, it seems to me that it has. Much might and ought to be said on this subject, but my limits will not permit. In addition to flour and corn meal, mention must be made of superior samples of oat meal, samp, hominy, grits, farina, &c., got up in beautiful style.

I will now proceed to the productions of the Dairy. Of Cheese, the display was exceedingly large; much larger than at any preceding Fair. As regards quality, I venture the remark, that while there was one sample of the best, there were also two or three samples of the worst American Dairy Cheese ever seen at any exhibition of the American Institute; between these two extremities the quality varied exceedingly. The best sample of American Dairy was well cured, and of exceedingly fine flavor; the worst was intolerable. I cannot imagine for what purpose it was made; certainly not to be eaten ; perhaps to keep out a certain insect."

Of Imitation English Dairy the samples were all good, and some exceedingly fine. One lot, of great excellence, came in near the close of the Fair, and consequently too late for competition.

Among the rest, one Mammoth Cheese, from Austin, Ashtabula county, Chio, must not be overlooked, if it were possible to overlook a thing of such monstrous size. The weight of this Cheese was seventeen hundred and fifty pounds! without doubt the largest ever made. The labor of making, pressing, and curing it must have been immense. Notwithstanding its great size, it was of good quality, and perhaps only required a little more ripening to make it a firstrate cheese.

The display of Butter was rather larger than we usually have, and there was not an indifferent sample on exhibition. All were good, many first-rate, and two at least most exquisitely flavored. It is gratifying to perceive each year some perceptible improvement in the products of our Dairy, and to know that the subject is receiving that attention which its importance demands.

I will next pass to Vegetable Productions, the display of which was not only immensely large but really first-rate. Owing to their great number, an enumeration cannot here be attempted; yet there are some things that cannot be overlooked. There were many samples of excellent Potatoes, both for cattle and the table. In one case two crops in succession were taken from the same ground, which is noteworthy. There were several samples of seedling Potatoes, but, with one exception, they were not remarkable for any great excellence. Of things new, the most striking was an odd-looking Squash, called the Sailor's Delight, said to be fine. Of Beets, both for the table and cattle, the display was large and excellent, and the same may be said of Parsnips and Carrots. Of Onions the display was not large, but one lot was especially fine. The display of Squashes and Pumpkins was immense, from a Mammoth down to a Vegetable Marrow. But how do justice to a long list, comprising, in addition to the above, Celery, Turnips, Salsify, Egg Plants, Peppers, Globe Artichokes, Cab bages, Green Corn, Beans, Tomatoes, Okra, Cucumbers, Watermelons, Citron Melons, Sweet Potatoes, &c., &c., all excellent of their kind?

In Hops, no improvement upon former exhibitions was observable, in respect either of quantity or quality. We must hope better things for the future.

I will here simply enumerate some miscellaneous articles, such as superior Mustard, excellent Honey, very choice native Wine, from the Catawba grape, Cider, Annatto, Madder, Hemp, Guano, Fertilizing Powder for plants, &c., &c., of which I have no time to take further notice at present.

Of Pickles and Preserves the display was very creditable. The articles of this description were, most of them, excellent, especially the Pickles, which were got up with much taste.

I shall next pass to the Fruit. Leaving out of consideration the specimens exhibited at the Congress of Fruit Growers, the display this year, on the whole, was an advance upon preceding exhibitions, nothwithstanding the partial failure of crops in some sections. Of Apples, the show, in point of numbers, did not, perhaps, exceed that

of last year, yet the specimens, in many cases, were certainly finer. It is worthy of notice that there were several seedling Apples of great excellence; one sample was thought to be superior to many old and esteemed varieties. Of Pears, the display was not, perhaps, quite equal to that of last year; yet two exceptions must be made, embracing the Vergouleuse and Duchesse d'Angoulême, of which there was a magnificent show. There was one sample of seedling Pears of very fine quality; and it is an interesting fact, worthy of being noted here, that we had several specimens from the original Seckel Pear, which is still standing and in tolerable health.

The display of Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines was exceedingly fine; by far the best we have ever had. It is worthy of remark, that the best Peaches and Nectarines were seedlings; they were of the first quality, being very large and exquisitely flavored. Never before have we had so much seedling fruit of decided merit. Of Quinces the show was good, but not better than has been usual on former occasions.

The display of Grapes was exceedingly grand; something to be noted and remembered. The show of Foreign Grapes was magnifi cent; I doubt whether a finer has ever been seen. The number of varieties was very large, and the various samples were of great excellence. The display of Native Grapes was also large, and of the very first quality. I venture to say that no Isabella or Catawba Grapes ever surpassed them; one sample of Isabellas was much the finest I have ever seen, in regard to both quality and size.

I must not omit to mention, in this connection, a case of Wax Fruit, most beautifully and truthfully executed. These wax specimens were so like the real fruit that many persons were completely deceived in regard to their true nature; and, indeed, when some of the wax specimens were placed by the side of the natural fruit represented, it required nice discrimination, even in experienced persons, to distinguish between the wax and the natural fruit. There can be but one opinion in regard to the great utility of these imitations of fruit, and they should be duly encouraged.

Altogether, the exhibition of Fruit was superb, and a source of great gratification to all who beheld it; more especially is this true of the large and exceedingly fine display of the luscious Peach and Nectarine, and the imposing show of Grapes, the large and tempting clusters of which were a theme of delighted admiration to every beholder.

I shall now take a glance at the Flowers, those loved objects, over which I so delight to linger. The weather at the opening of the Fair was most unpropitious for the development of these delicate objects, and I was not a little apprehensive that the display would prove to be something of a failure; but the fury of the storm abated in time to avert so deep a mortification, and the genial rays of the sun brought out the Flowers in all their gorgeous attire. Thus it often happens, that what at first seemed, to our finite vision, only fraught with evil and misfortune, turns out, in the end, to be full of the utmost beneficence. A wise Providence reigns over all.

I have no desire to exaggerate in any particular the character or merits of the exhibition which has just closed; but I must nevertheless, in justice to the commendable zeal evinced by the exhibitors, claim for the display of Flowers the high distinction of being, without the semblance of exception, by far the greatest that has ever been seen on any one occasion in New-York. I do not mean alone that it was the largest, but also decidedly the best in every sense of the word; and I claim for it in some particulars the great merit of being of a higher character than any for exhibition. I have strong hopes that in a very few years our exhibitions of Flowers will reach the high standard already attained by our Boston and Philadelphia friends. Too much praise cannot be bestowed upon that spirit of emulation which enabled us to keep up a blaze of Floral beauties during the whole four weeks' continuance of the Fair. For this happy result we owe exhibiters a large meed of praise, and I take infinite pleasure in bestowing it. This is about all that they get to reward them for their labor and losses, and I desire that they should receive a full measure of it. The taste for the cultivation of Flowers is no doubt increasing among us, but its progress is painfully slow. This may be attributed in a great measure to a want of sufficient and