PROCEEDINGS STATE AGRICULTURAL CONVENTION 169 



We find the contest feature especially helpful, and so we point a good 

 deal of our state effort towards the state fair, which brings together 

 practically everything in the work in which the boys and girls are com- 

 peting. We are certainly very glad that we have a state fair board here 

 which is backing the boys' and girls' work so strongly. We certainly ap- 

 preciate the work they are doing and we only hope it will not develop so 

 fast that they cannot keep up with it. Or to put it another way, we hope 

 they will be able to keep up with the growth in it because we know there 

 is a tremendous growth right now in this work. I say we point our 

 efforts toward the state fair, and you have seen the results if you have 

 been up here and observed the exhibits at the fair. 



We divide these things into about three classes: for exhibits, for 

 demonstrations and for judging contests; and in addition to that, of 

 course, we have the camp and dining hall. But exhibits are the feature, 

 exhibits attract more attention than anything else because they have been 

 growing and developing and are most evident, and in the last few years 

 there has been a wonderful growth in that work. For instance, this 

 past year we had enrolled in the state a few less than 700 boys in the 

 calf club and baby beef feeding work. There were on exhibition at the 

 Iowa State Fair last year 382 head, practically one-half of the total 

 number fed. Just as warning to the state fair board I want to say that 

 as near as we can figure at the present time — the figures are incomplete, 

 because the enrollment for this coming year is not all finished — we know 

 that there are 1,200 head on feed at the present time, and I would not be 

 at all surprised with the rate they are coming in if, within the next month, 

 there will be at least 1,400 or possibly 1,500. If the same percentage holds 

 in regard to the number exhibited you can expect 750 or 800 calves at 

 the Iowa State Fair next year. That is going to present a problem to our 

 fair board. I believe it is something of importance for the reason that 

 you men as fair people know it is not a good thing to try to discourage 

 a part of those exhibits from coming. I think probably all of you have 

 had experience in trying to throw out a little smoke screen saying: "We 

 are going to have a tremendous exhibit, going to be crowded and prob- 

 ably some ought to stay at home." The consequence of a recommendation 

 of that kind is that entirely too large a percentage stay home. 



I don't believe in this case that you ought to try to limit the numbers, 

 at least very much, because exhibiting at the state fair offers these boys 

 that grow these calves an opportunity to market these animals to an ad- 

 vantage they cannot get in their local communities very often, so urge 

 them to come here if at all possible, and we hope there will be large num- 

 bers come and we hope they won't overcrowd the accommodations of the 

 fair. But I do believe you will have that problem to meet next year, even 

 much greater than last year. 



That calf club class is one of the interesting and one of the important 

 things. I think we are safe in saying that last year we had as many 

 calves in the baby beef class at the Iowa State Fair as were on exhibit 

 at any show in this country this year and possibly a few more. The pig 

 club classes at the Iowa State Fair are very large also, this year something 

 over 600 head. Most of these pigs are brought in and returned home. 



