No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 7 



[he year, I feel that it is but just to name the county fair. I know- 

 that many worthy and intelligent people can see nothing good in a 

 county fair, and I grant, that, conducted as many fairs are, the good 

 is overshadowed by that which is only evil. This, however, does 

 not prove that properly conducted fairs are not helpful. I regard 

 the Agricultural Fair as an educator. I have never gone to a fair 

 without seeing something that was new and that started in my own 

 mind, a line of thought from which I gained something. At the 

 fair you see what your neighbors are doing, and your attention is 

 directed to their best efforts. When you see something a little bet- 

 ter than the ordinary, in any particular line, you will be likely to 

 question the producer concerning his methods, and whether 

 prompted by what you see or what you hear, a line of thought is 

 likely to be started that will lead to valuable experiment, and prove 

 to you a decided benefit. It matters not what may be the line along 

 which you are working, you want to have fixed in your mind some 

 standard of excellence that you regard as desirable to attain. You 

 go to the fair and you see your ideal. It may be an animal or a va- 

 riety of fruit or vegetables, depending entirely upon the channel in 

 v liii-h your individual tastes run, and when you get back to the farm, 

 you think about it, your standard is fixed and you begin to work 

 toward it. 



I had occasion to speak of the improvement in the method of. 

 conducting county fairs in my last Annual Report, and it is grati- 

 fying to know that the same improved conditions were noticeable 

 during the year 1905. I think that the theory held by many, that 

 a county fair cannot be conducted successfully without admitting 

 certain forms of gambling and inside shows and entertainments of 

 questionable propriety, is about exploded and a better day, for a bet- 

 ter and purer county fair, has been reached. 



WORK DONE BY THE DEPARTMENT. 



The specific work of the several Divisions of the Department was 

 carried on during the year with the same vigor that characterized 

 the work of each Division during the two previous years. I need 

 not refer to this work in detail, as it is fully set forth in the accom- 

 panying reports of the heads of the respective Divisions. I desire, 

 however, to express my very high appreciation" of the intelligent 

 effort made by each Division to make its work as valuable as pos- 

 sible to the State. 



FEEDING STUFFS CONTROL. 



The routine work of the Department coming more directly under 

 the supervision of the Secretary, has gone forward during the year 

 without particular incident. A number of prosecutions were brought 

 for violations of the laws regulating the manufacture and sale of 

 concentrated commercial feeding stuffs. The fines collected and 

 turned into the State Treasury for violations of this law, occurring 

 during the year* 1905, amount to 2,f)00 dollars, and there are still 

 a number of cases to be determined. 



What is known as ''Concentrated Commercial Feeding Stuffs," 

 have been in great demand in Pennsylvania and must continue so in- 

 definitely. Our many large cities and populous mining districts 



