middle western fair ever exhibited stalks of sugar cane weigh- 

 ing nearly sixty pounds apiece and measuring eighteen feet 

 in length, or bunches of bananas that would be worth two and 

 one-half dollars apiece if they retailed at one cent per banana ; 

 nor did any of the States in the Union ever show such a 

 variety of fruits and vegetables, from the most tropical species 

 as citrus, lemons and mangoes to those requiring the cold 

 crisp air of the northern latitudes as celery, strawberries and 

 pears, all raised within a few miles of each other, but at dif- 

 ferent altitudes — on the slopes of the sky-scraping volcanoes 

 of the Island of Hawaii. 



But as my business at the fair was in the capacity of judge 

 of live stock it is but fitting that that branch of the show be 

 given primary consideration here even though it were better 

 not to do so. In extenuation of that statement it must be said 

 that the elements had conspired to make a live stock show 

 impossible, unless some water and weather-proof premises 

 were available for its accommodation. The rains were simply 

 torrential, at least to the visitors from milder climes, and 

 while many live stock owners were there — drippingly — they 

 could hardly be blamed for not bringing their best animals, 

 even though they risked bringing their families. And by the 

 same token, prizes in the form of silver cups, medals and rib- 

 bons were plentifully provided for dairy cattle, while not a 

 single entry class even was provided for beef cattle, the second- 

 to-sugar-cane largest industry on the island. Dairy cattle 

 seemed to be the one item, so far as live stock was concerned, 

 that the committee in question seemed to consider worth while 

 encouraging, unless poultry is live stock. Although the pro- 

 motion of the live stock section had been placed in the hands 

 of my good friend and colleague, Dr. Elliot, whose ability and 

 earnestness nobody can question, the entire idea of a competi- 

 tive exhibition of live stock was so new and unlooked-for that 

 few if any of the dairy people and live stock raisers in the dis- 

 trict realized its meaning or had time to learn how to prepare 

 for it. But to conclude from this that the show was a failure 

 or that nothing was gained by it would be a grave mistake. 

 Far from it. Every one of the exhibitiors went home telling 

 himself, "Wait till next year and I'll show you," and that is 

 exactly what a county fair is for. Now the spirit of competi- 

 tion has been awakened, nothing can hold the exhibitors back, 

 and next year's show which is planned for a more favorable 

 climatic season, July 4th, will require premises ten times the 

 size of the entire show just closed, in order to accommodate 

 the live stock section only. 



It is unnecessary here to go into any details in regard to the 

 animals exhibited, beyond a word to those who carried home 

 the silver cups ; and that is to remind them that these cups 

 have to be won three times in order to become the property of 



