SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART II 87 



went to the Historical building by way of the underground tunnel. I en- 

 joyed seeing the relics on display at this building and I hope to be able 

 to spend more time there soon. 



On Friday, August 25, a Boys' Judging Contest was held in the Stock 

 Pavilion, six hundred dollars being offered in scholarships at the Iowa 

 State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. The majority of the 

 boy campers competed and the camp took second and fourth places. Like 

 a good many other boys, I entered the contest for the experience I would 

 get out of it more than anything else. I did not expect to win, and did 

 not win a prize for I had never studied live stock judging. Nevertheless 

 I feel well repaid for having entered the contest. 



Each day of the fair we were req[uired to usher at the Amphitheater, 

 Stock Pavilion and Baby Show, and sometimes were asked to assist in 

 the judging rings. This did not occupy a great deal of our time and we 

 were glad to do it for it gave us the feeling that in our small way we 

 were helping to stage the great Iowa State Fair. 



Of all the attractions at the fair I think the live stock show was of 

 the most vital interest and the greatest educational feature. I saw the 

 results of persistent effort in the breeding and handling of blooded 

 stock and I began to realize why Iowa takes a commandingi position 

 among her sisterhood of states and why her state fair is supreme in 

 almost all respects. The horse, cattle, swine and sheep barns were filled 

 to overflowing and it was a beautiful sight to see the animals in the judg- 

 ing rings and in the barns. 



One of the things which interested me particularly was the cow-testing 

 exhibit. I believe this was a new feature at the Iowa State Fair this 

 year and I am sure a great number of people were benefited by this 

 exhibit. 



Another new feature was the sheep-shearing contest, which I found 

 quite interesting. 



In the Agricultural Building I saw a duplicate of The Horn of Plenty, 

 which attracted so much attention at the Panama-Pacific Exposition at 

 San Francisco last year. It certainly was a beautiful sight and I am 

 grateful for having had the opportunity of seeing it. In this building I 

 saw the county exhibits, individual farm exhibits, horticultural exhibits, 

 dairy exhibits, pantry stores, etc. Each of these various exhibits received 

 considerable attention by the state fair visitors. 



I enjoyed my visit to the Poultry Building, the Auto Show, the College 

 Building, the Game Preserve and the Machinery Building. I was also 

 much interested in the exhibits put on by the Highway Commission, State 

 Department of Mining and Geology, Pure Food Department and the State 

 Board of Control. I derived considerable practical knowledge from view- 

 ing some of these exhibits. 



However, we boys were not at the fair entirely for educational profit. 

 Almost every one of us had spent the summer in hard work on the farm 

 and for three long months had looked forward to the fair as our vacation 

 time. We were not disappointed. Wo enjoyed immensely the amusements 

 provided by the fair management. We saw horse and automobile races 



