514 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



plement department to come over and fill our silos with, this corn, thereby giving 

 an interesting exhibit and providing the Society vi^ith some good feed for the 

 winter. 



I believe it would also be a good plan to invite some of the instructors from the 

 Michigan Agricultural College to come down and lecture on the relative values 

 . of feed and the cost of producing same in different localities, as scientific feeding 

 is necessary to produce the best results. 



Particular attention must be paid to the practical side of this subject, because 

 this appeals to the farmer, as it shows him how to obtain more dollars and 

 cents from his investment. 



Of course, we cannot expect to have a creditable exhibit in this department 

 until the dairy building is completed. With this end in view I would favor 

 hiring Mr. Buck of Coldwater to go ahead with this building early in the spring, 

 using the lumber and material on hand that was necessary to erect the nine foot 

 wall around the cement floor of the new dairy building, as this material can 

 be used to good advantage, thereby saving us $350 yearly which is the amount re- 

 quired for the tent roof. 



In connection with this department, a rule should be passed compelling all 

 the exhibitors of dairy machinery to show in this building or not exhibit at the 

 Fair. I think when these exhibitors have an opportunity of seeing this struc- 

 ture completed they will be better satisfied to show there instead of in the im- 

 plement department, thus bringing us in more revenue besides assisting in mak- 

 ing a creditable dairy show. A charge of fifteen cents per square foot should be 

 made for space in the dairy building. 



LIVE STOCK DEPARTJMENT. 



This live stock exhibit of 1910, really put the Michigan State Pair on the map 

 as we had one of the best live stock departments in the west. More exhibits of 

 better quality were shown with the single exception of the Minnesota State Fair. 

 Various reasons have been advanced to account for this great showing when com- 

 paring it to the 1911 exhibits in this department. 



In my opinion, two causes worked the change, viz.: first, a nine day fair and 

 second, the cutting of premiums in our open classes to permit us to give twenty 

 per cent additional to Michigan winners. A nine day fair under our rules compels 

 an exhibitor to have his stock on the ground at n'ne o'clock on the opening day 

 of the Fair, and specifies that he must remain until the end of the ninth day or 

 forfeit all premiums. It is common knowledge that many county fairs offer 

 fairly good premiums and the exhibitors can make two of these fairs while he 

 is attending ours and win more money. Besides, these short jumps often assist 

 in getting the exhibitors' stock to another state fair following us in better shape 

 than if he were to make the distance in one shipment. 



It is a mistake to cut our premiums in order to add twenty per cent to the 

 winnings of Michigan breeders, because Michigan show cattle, horses, sheep 

 and swine can compete anywhere and make a good showing (if the best in Michi- 

 gan is shown). If not, we do not need the poor ones simply to fill the stalls 

 and draw premiums. Again, there is no State Fair in the Union discriminating 

 in the open classes (some states provide a class open to state exhibitors only, but 

 this does not effect the open classes). 



I have carefully gone over our records and find that the twenty per cent rule 

 did not bring out any more good Michigan live stock, as the following tabulation 

 shows: 



1910. MICHIGAN PREMIUM WINNERS. 1911. 



14 Horses 12 



8 Swine 9 



10 Sheep 9 



21 .Cattle 17 



In other words, the twenty per cent clause did not serve its purpose, viz.: 

 bringing out more good Michigan live stock than heretofore. 



