92 TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART II 



On Farm Bureau Day over 50,000 were present. President Howard and 

 Secretary Coverdale, of the American Federation, and President Hunt and 

 Secretary Cunningham, of the Iowa State Federation, addressed the large 

 crowds that filled the Farm Bureau tent throughout the entire day. 



The weather this year was somewhat below the average in quality but 

 made up in quantity — the first days of the fair being unusually hot and 

 humid, and rain adding some discomfort on "Big Thursday." 



The exhibits at least smashed all records made during the last sixty- 

 seven years. The wonderful array of pure-bred live stock filled the bams 

 and sheds to overflowing, and in quality as well as numbers was unsur- 

 passed by any previous exhibition. The machinery exhibit also was up 

 to standard— manufacturers and distributors doing themselves proud In 

 the face of lessened demand. 



There were no transportation difiQculties, in spite of the fears of those 

 who wondered how the thousands of visitors added to the thousands of 

 citizens could get anywhere with no street cars running. The street cars 

 ran during the fair and with the shuttle trains on the Rock Island, busses 

 and private conveyances took good care of the crowds to and from the 

 city. 



Despite the feeling in some quarters that the pure-bred business had 

 been badly bumped, breeders from all over the Middle West were at Des 

 Moines with the best horses, cattle, hogs, sheep and poultry that have 

 ever been seen at any fair. The cataloged entry list showed a total of 

 9,178 entries in the above divisions. 



The horse division was all that ardent horse lovers could desire, over 

 1,000 entries revealing a quality not frequently seen at one gathering. 



The cattle building was filled with the best exhibition of beef and dairy 

 animals ever exhibited at the state fair, every division being well repre- 

 sented except the Ayrshire, of which breed there was but one animal 

 entered. 



The swine exhibit was fully as good if not better than those of previous 

 years, over 2,848 pure-bred animals from all sections calling attention 

 again to the predominance of the prolific and quick-growing hog as the 

 one best bet of farmers and stockmen in Iowa and surrounding states. 

 The hot weather of the early days of the fair caused a good deal of suf- 

 fering and some losses among the large hogs. 



Sheep were well represented, the number of animals Increasing each 

 year, which shows the tendency of farmers to raise more wool and mut- 

 ton in small flocks throughout the corn belt. The quality of the sheep 

 exhibit was about the usual average for past years. 



There were more fowls of all kinds and classes registered in the poultry 

 department than ever before — thus recording an increasing intereS't 

 among country folk and townspeople in the popular and productive hen 

 and her more or less distant relatives. There was something of value and 

 interest for every visitor to the fair in the extent and variety of the 

 poultry and pet stock on exhibition this year. 



One of the outstanding features of the 1921 fair was the boys' and girls' 

 pig club exhibit which far exceeded any previous effort — more than 200 

 exhibitors contesting for honors with 460 animals. This feature of educa- 

 tional work among the young people of the farm can scarcely be over- 



