70 TAVENTY-SECOND ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART II 



000 less than had been taken up to the corresponding time last year 

 and $20,000 less than receipts up to Friday night in 1919. Everybody 

 really expected a smaller attendance than the records made during the 

 two previous years. Considering everything, the attendance of nearly 

 300,000 was really most satisfactory. In 1916 the attendance amounted 

 to 291,000 and in 1915, to 245,000, so compared with those years no one 

 has any reason for complaint. The fact of the matter is, that one can't 

 escape the conclusion that interest in the state fair on the part of the 

 farmer and his family is growing. 



Tent City up on the hill looked like a most prosperous place this year. 

 Close to 500 farm bureau members had tents in the farm bureau section 

 and it is conservative to say that fully 3,000 men, women and children 

 were housed on this part of the grounds, which was nearly twice as 

 many as camped there last year. There were, of course, many addi- 

 tional campers, but these 3,000 were farm bureau members. 



The big show itself was very superior. It was thought-provoking. As 

 one studied the many breeds of live stock, each represented by the 

 choicest individuals of its kind, the products of the breeders' skill and 

 energy, one couldn't help realizing, in a measure at least, the important 

 relation of agriculture to the welfare of the state as a whole. What 

 would Iowa be, agriculturally speaking, if we didn't have our pure-bred 

 herds of live stock and our improved grains? That the breeders of 

 cattle, horses, hogs, sheep and poultry are making progress from year 

 to year and that greater general interest is taken in the livestock ex- 

 hibits at the fair was never more evident. 



While the live stock was being judged, the judging pavilions were 

 filled with interested spectators. This was particularly true of the 

 hog pavilion where interest was intense and where the judge's every 

 decision was critically examined and commented upon. The fair 

 management deserves credit for the manner in which the whole show 

 was handled. The advance work for the fair had been well done and 

 the show had been well ad"t^ertised. Every preparation had been made 

 tor the comfort alike of the exhibitor and the visitor and satisfaction 

 was expressed by all with the treatment accorded them. There were 

 no overcharges on the grounds this year. Prices were reasonable, but 

 Tlsitors did not spend as much money as usual. Concessionaires, there- 

 fore, in many cases lost money. They did not sell as much as they had 

 expected to, but little complaint was heard on that score. 



There probably isn't a farmer anywhere who has not read or heard 

 about the value of pure-bred bulls for grading up scrub cattle, but to those 

 who have had no practical experience along this line nothing is more 

 convincing of the value of improved blood than to see the progeny from 

 scrub cows and pure-bred bulls and to note their records either as beef 

 or milk producers. Such an exhibit was seen in the cattle barn on the 

 fair grounds last week. It showed the value of improved beef blood as 

 well as of dairy blood for building up productive herds. 



Crusty, a cow out of a grade Jersey and sired by a registered Red 

 Polled bull, had a record of 6,582 pounds milk and 313 pounds butter 

 fat, according to a cow-testing association. No record was available of 

 Crusty's dam, but if there had been it would probably have been con- 



