SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IV 303 



rows had to be added to the usual space at the amphitheater. About 

 eighty cars were on display, and as many farmers as city folk visited 

 the exhibit. Those in charge said large numbers of sales were being 

 made to farmers, and for this reason automobile manufacturers and 

 dealers are taking advantage of stale fair time to display their products. 

 An effort will be made to get an appropriation for a building which 

 can be used exclusively for the automobile show. The show evidently 

 has outgrown its present quarters. While the present show is made 

 largely by Des Moines dealers, it is believed that if there was room, 

 outside manufacturers would come in larger numbers. 



Iowa's school exhibit was fully up to standard. It is evident from 

 observing the displays arranged by many of the schools, that manual 

 training and domestic science are occupying more important places in 

 the rural school courses than they did a few years ago. Iowa now has 

 a system of standard schools, this being planned in 1914, when only 

 490 schools came up to the standard. The next year 564 had met 

 standard specifications, and in 1916 the total has reached 604. Two 

 hundred and forty-six are still below standard, with an enrollment of 

 35,000 pupils, as compared with 190,000 in the approved schools. To 

 be approved as standard, a school must meet the requirements in 

 material equipment, in organization of the school, in the course of 

 study, in the qualifications of the teacher, and it must have an effective 

 school spirit. Within the next few years, it is hoped by those interested 

 in the improvement of Iowa's school system that all will come up to 

 the approved standard. 



Practical use of the wireless telegraph was made by a number of 

 Iowa newspapers. Correspondents wrote their copy on the fair grounds 

 and delivered it to the operator in charge of the wireless station, at the 

 College Building. From here it was flashed into space and picked up 

 by operators at other stations which arranged for the service. The 

 public was given a good opportunity to see both the method of sending 

 and of receiving messages by means of wireless telegraph, which is 

 coming into extensive use, and which probably in time will do away 

 with all wires and poles now in use. 



The fruit show was about the largest that state fair crowds have 

 had an opportunity of seeing. The color was not quite as good as 

 usual, on account of the dry weather, but the quality was above the 

 average. Much of the fruit was not ripe. Each year more attention 

 is given to boxed apple exhibits, which indicates that growers of choice 

 fruit are beginning to take advantage of this package for marketing. 

 Demonstrations in grading apples according to size and quality, as well 

 as packing the assorted sizes in boxes, were watched with keen interest. 

 One of the features of the fruit show were two boxes of apples of the 

 1914 and 1915 cro])s, which had been held in cold storage by C. E. 

 Mincer, of Hamburg. Both boxes were in fair condition, sound, and 

 they retained their flavor. Fruit growers are very optimistic over the 

 possibilities of raising more apples and other fruit in Iowa. 



The weather was ideal for the hundreds of campers, who made a 

 fair-sized city east and west of the demonstration grounds. A great 



