TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART II 71 



people are beginning to observe more care in their expenditures. This 

 year's fair was a greater money maker than any previous fair, and the 

 general character and extent of the various exhibits were on the whole 

 superior to those ever before seen. 



The horse show was the strongest that has been seen for many years, 

 indicating the renewed interest that farmers and breeders are taking in 

 the horse as a practical power unit on the average farm. All classes 

 were well filled, the draft breeds being especially prominent in number 

 and quality. A total of 140 exhibitors from many states were present 

 with an aggregate of 758 animals representing the following breeds: 

 Percheron, Belgian, Shire, Clydesdale, roadster, saddler, Hackney, Shet- 

 land, and mules, jacks and jennets. 



Notable in this department was the champion Percheron mare, Mari- 

 etta, exhibited by Lakewood Farm, Rock Rapids, Iowa. James B. Mc- 

 Millan, manager of Lakewood Farm, during the fair sold this great mare 

 to Springbrook Farms, Walkerville, Md., for the record price of $7,500, 

 the highest price ever paid for a draft mare in this or any other country. 



The new cattle barn was filled to capacity with the largest and per- 

 haps the best lot of beef and dairy cattle that ever appeared at the Iowa 

 State Fair. The wide aisles, the good overhead light, and the low par- 

 titions made a trip through this great building a pleasure and a profit 

 to those who love good cattle and enjoy studying them. The beef classes 

 were represented by the standard breeds that are popular in the West, 

 the Shorthorns, Herefords, Angus, Galloways, Polled Shorthorns and Red 

 Polled being represented by 88 exhibitors with a total of 765 animals. 

 The dairy cattle were also housed in this building, 401 animals of the 

 Holstein, Jersey, Guernsey, Ayrshire and Brown Swiss breeds being shown 

 by 56 exhibitors. 



Good cattle have been shown at the leading state fairs of the mid-west 

 for 50 years or more. During that time definite improvement has been 

 registered in individual merit — that is, the modern type of both beef and 

 dairy cattle is a little more nearly ideal for the purposes in view. But 

 by far the greatest progress is shown by the increasing number of breed- 

 ers and the larger herds of high-class cattle produced by the older men 

 in the business. Every year new names can be seen on the banners of 

 those who have grown to the full stature of showmen in the ring. This 

 is significant of the development of the breeding industry generally — 

 the end being the disappearance of scrubs and grades which will be re- 

 placed with animals of standard breeds and these of increasing individual 

 merit. 



Over 4,000 head of swine, representing the popular breeds, were shown 

 at Des Moines this year. The great swine building was filled, and the 

 open pens and the judging pavilion nearby helped to care for the over- 

 flow. There were 121 Duroc breeders, 99 Poland China exhibitors, 66 

 Chester White men, 45 Hampshire breeders, 16 Spotted Poland China 

 devotees, while the Tamworth, Berkshire and Yorkshire breeds were 

 represented by six, four and three exhibitors, respectively. The swine 

 show this year excelled anything heretofore seen at Des Moines in num- 



