TWENTIETH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III 197 



of home economics over the state, giving premiums on the exhibits 

 that they have before them, so that they can work out and show the 

 results of the schooHng at the fair, and let these girls see what can 

 be done, and let these girls show a lot of grown-up women. 



There are a lot of things that women are not making today. 

 What's the use of putting premiums on those things? Of course, 

 everything must be made within the last year, but are they in your 

 fair? I should say not! Another thing, shall the canned fruit be 

 opened or not. Miss Ellison and I have talked this over and we 

 say that it should be opened at the judge's discretion. There are 

 a lot of things in those jars that wouldn't stand inspection if opened 

 — sealed in there for two or three days, and that's about as long as 

 they keep. In an exhibit I found a lot of jelly made of gelatin, and 

 on a hot day it will melt — see? I found a lot of vegetables put up 

 in cold water, which will keep them only two or three days. I don't 

 believe in opening unless you have to — it's a terrible waste unless 

 they can be used. I was at the state fair in Minnesota and they had 

 some home economics teachers and students there, and just as soon 

 as the jar was opened they gave a demonstration of the cold-pack 

 method, and it worked out very nicely. It is also a good plan to sell 

 the material after the judging is over with. Those that want to 

 sell it say so. I would lots rather have it sold than have it go to 

 waste. We have tried to economize in various ways by limiting the 

 classes. For instance, we have just two kinds of pie on the pre- 

 mium list — apple pie and cherry pie, both are grown in Iowa. I 

 don't know but it would be better, instead of putting in pies to put 

 in tarts — that shows the crust. The pie crust is the difficult thing 

 to make. We have put in just three cakes — angel food, just raised 

 by air, the butter cake — the women are too busy and butter and 

 sugar cost so much today to make the best they can, and if we 

 aren't going to make a frosted cake, just make a cup cake, with 

 brown delicious shortening just right. All right, who can do that?. 

 If there is a woman in the neighborhood makes that and takes off 

 the premium I want that woman to understand it is her duty if 

 she knows that to tells others about it. I want her to know that she 

 in turn should go out and be a missionary. We want her to carry this 

 thing through and make it a worth-while exhibit. We want every 

 woman in the county to feel that it is her fair. It is her fair ! And 

 put something in not because she expects to get a premium but be- 

 cause it is the county that she lives in and she wants her county fair 

 to be up to the mark. 



