54 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



IOWA STATE FAIR 



True to form, the Iowa State Fair again set a new record for 

 the agricultural and live stock expositions of America to strive 

 for at its sixty-sixth annual exposition at Des Moines, August 

 25 to September 3, 1920. 



The great agricultural regions of the central west had prac- 

 tically recovered from the war and, as a result, exhibits in all 

 departments of the monster exposition were crowded as never 

 before. In the swine department, the entries were so numerous 

 that 502 temporary pens had to be arranged to take care of the 

 overflow exhibit. Both in quantity and quality, the exhibits in 

 all of the live stock departments in 1920 surpassed by far all 

 previous records established at the Iowa State Fair. 



The swine department showed the greatest number of animals 

 on exhibition. There were 4,036 head of hogs of the ten breeds 

 exhibited as compared with 3,197 in 1919. Duroc Jerseys headed 

 the list in point of numbers with 1,206 head. The cattle de- 

 partment was given a tremendous impetus by the completion of 

 the new permanent cattle barn just before the opening of the 

 1920 state fair. Some of the finest herds in America were 

 brought to Des Moines to compete with the entries made by 

 Iowa breeders. A total of 1,169 head of cattle were on exhibi- 

 tion during the 1920 fair. This is 156 head more than were ex- 

 hibited at the 1919 fair. The exhibits were made by 278 in- 

 dividual exhibitors. 



The horse breeders of the Middle West staged a come-back, 

 which was reflected in the 1920 horse exhibit at the state fair, 

 where 119 exhibitors showed 751 head of horses, ponies and 

 mules. The 1919 record for the horse department was 472 head 

 shown by 97 exhibitors. There was a similar increase in the 

 showing made by sheep breeders, mainly from Iowa. They ex- 

 hibited 938 head of sheep as compared with 784 head in 1919. 

 The goat exhibit consisted of 35 head compared with 71 head 

 a year ago. 



The post-war revival of the manufacturing industries which 

 cater to the agricultural field was also reflected in an unpre- 

 cedented display of farm machinery of every type. The ex- 



