22 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



The matter of asking the legislature for an annual appropriation for 

 maintaining the grounds and buildings should have the attention of the 

 board at this meeting. 



At the present time the department receives annually $1,000 for in- 

 surance and repairs and $2,400 for the support of the Department of 

 Agriculture. The premiums on insurance amount to about $1,700 and 

 maintenance and repairs to about $7,000 annually. If the board is to 

 maintain the property as it should be they will be called upon to expend 

 a much larger sum annually for this purpose than they have in the past. 



For the board's information I wish to speak of a few matters that will 

 require attention in the near future. The race track should be resurfaced 

 the coming year; practically every frame building on the grounds and all 

 the metal roofs should be painted next year. The roof on the swine 

 pavilion, grandstand, dining halls and porches of Administration Building 

 will have to be replaced within the next two or three years. It will also 

 be necessary to replace the metal roofs on the Agricultural Building and 

 Stock Pavilion within three or four years. With these extraordinary 

 expenses to meet It would seem the board should ask for an annual ap- 

 propriation of $15,000 or $20,000 for insurance and maintenance of 

 grounds and buildings. 



The board should also ask for an appropriation to purchase the 17 

 acres of land held under an option at $10,000; $1,200 for the Weaver 

 corner: $750 for Flint's lots and $300 for the two other lots to square out 

 the southwest corner of the grounds. 



It might be well for the board to incorporate in the recommendations 

 to the Governor a plan of improving the fair grounds covering a period 

 of years and providing the buildings that are needed. That is secure an 

 appropriation of $400,000 or $500,000 for building and have about $75,000 

 or $100,000 available each year for four or five years. This plan was 

 worked out in New York State when they rebuilt their grounds. They 

 had $2,000,000 appropriated — $500,000 available each year for a period of 

 four years. 



The board is familiar with the present accommodations and knows 

 that practically every department has outgrown the present quarters with 

 possibly the exception of the swine and sheep departments. 



The cattle barn should be completed along the line of our proposed plan 

 at an early date if we hope to keep the show up to its present standard. 

 The proposed cattle barn will accommodate about 1,400 head of cattle. 

 The horse barn should also be completed in accordance with the proposed 

 plan. 



There should also be a building provided for the exhibition of fruit, 

 plants and flowers to relieve the congestion in the Agricultural Building 

 and provide better quarters for these exhibits. Also a dairy building 

 equipped with a model creamery and ice cream plant, a place tor cow 

 testing demonstration and sufficient floor space to show dairy equip- 

 ment and machinery. 



Machinery Hall should be completed and the new section set aside for 

 the auto show. The grandstand should also be completed to provide a 



