74 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



while several rows of tents down near the gate were devoted to the 

 overflow. 



The county exhibits in the Agricultural Building were perhaps the 

 most interesting as an indication of Iowa's development in agricultural 

 lines. Exhibits this year were presented by more counties than last and 

 the average of quality presented was much higher, Polk county pre- 

 sented the outstanding display of the 17 counties entered. This was the 

 fourth successive year that Polk county has been endeavoring to win 

 the sweepstakes prize and this year they were able to win both in their 

 own section and in the state as a whole by a wide margin. Guthrie 

 county was second, Grundy third, Clarke fourth, Cass fifth, and Warren 

 sixth. By districts the awards were: In the northern district, Winne- 

 shiek first, Winnebago second, Chickasaw third; in the north central 

 district, Grundy was first and Webster second; in the south central dis- 

 trict Polk was first, Guthrie second and Greene, Carroll, Audubon and 

 Monona followed in order named; in the southern district Clarke county 

 won, with Cass, Warren, Decatur, Marion and Monroe in the succeeding 

 places. 



In the Iowa State College exhibits, the feature that drew the most 

 attention was unquestionably the model farm which was laid out with 

 real crops growing in actual Iowa dirt in the several fields. It was sup- 

 posed to illustrate the arrangement of a 240-acre corn and hog farm and 

 showed five 42-acre fields arranged with a five-year rotation of corn, oats 

 and clover. The rest of the farm was laid out in the six acres of farm- 

 stead and four small pastures each of 4.5 acres around the barns to pro- 

 vide a minor rotation to furnish pasture and feed for the hogs and young 

 stock during the summer and fall. 



Another part of the college exhibit was devoted to the work of encour- 

 aging the farmer to eliminate the non-producers from his flocks and 

 herds. A rogues gallery of photographs of poor dairy cows and chickens 

 was on the walls and attention was called to the bad features of each. 

 A photographic record was shown of the work of the Iowa station in 

 building up a dairy herd from scrub cows by the use of pure-bred bulls. 



The models of road building shown in the exhibit of the federal bu- 

 reau of roads were especially interesting to farmers who have been dis- 

 cussing the question of hard roads. The making of bituminous macadam 

 roads was shown in detail and the different type in question illustrated. 

 Estimates of cost of various kinds of roads were quoted. 



Interest in new ideas and subjects connected with the farm was not 

 confined to the men from the country. In the Women's Building there 

 was a very inspiring program going on all week. The program was fea- 

 tured by women from the country who told what they were doing in 

 their own communiti s to make for a valuable social life. 



To those who came to the fair to enjoy a week-long holiday as well 

 as to those who interspersed their more serious activities with the lighter 

 employments that the fair offered, the 1920 fair gave a splendid welcome. 

 The daily races, the flying exhibitions, the fireworks in the evening, the 

 orchestra concerts, even the horseshoe pitching contest, made up a pro- 



