PROCEEDINGS STATE AGRICULTURAL CONVENTION 171 



We have good accommodations so far as they go for the boys and girls 

 at the state fair, but they are crowded considerably. We haven't had 

 sleeping quarters enough for our boys nor for the girls and are going to 

 have to urge upon the fair board very soon that they expand as far as 

 giving accommodations for sleeping. This last year through the courtesy 

 of the fair board we put in a dining room where we feed the boys and 

 girls at cost on the grounds, and we think we have thereby accomplished 

 a good deal in establishing good feeling among the leaders over the 

 state and among the boys and girls themselves. I have heard a good many 

 favorable comments from leaders and fathers and mothers saying, "Now 

 if the fair is going to run a dining hall where we are sure our boys and 

 girls will receive proper food we will not hesitate to send them there for 

 a week," whereas they have in the past hesitated on the grounds that it 

 would not possibly be a very good thing for their boy or girl to go there 

 and eat at any old place on the grounds. That I think is an important 

 feature, one I certainly want to recommend to the management of the fair. 

 Now I have spent considerable time in regard to these things and I have 

 one or two suggestions or recommendations which I would want to leave 

 before the board today. The first is in regard to the calf and pig club 

 classes. I think there is a big problem that will have to be worked out 

 and met before the next Iowa State Fair. We can expect almost double 

 the number of calves and some increase in the pig club exhibits, and in 

 these quarters something needs to be done there immediately. 



As I have emphasized several times in going through this matter I 

 think what I have said about state fair work in general applies to our 

 district and county fairs because I believe that, in a smaller way, you 

 have just as big an opportunity in your local community to serve these 

 boys and girls as has the Iowa State Fair. I believe you can do just as 

 much for them locally, and what I would urge upon fair managers at 

 this time is this one point, to get busy immediately and try to work out 

 with the people in your county who are interested in this work what is 

 going to be done next year. Boys' and girls' club work is not something 

 that can be decided upon about a month in advance of the fair, but to be 

 successful must be taken up early. In these clubs, if they are animal 

 clubs, the animal must be secured and put on feed and carried through 

 several months before it is ready to exhibit at your fair, so that means 

 work immediately with your county agent and clubs. In fact, a baby 

 beef club is on feed at the present time and the pig club will come on very 

 soon, so that would have to be done if you were going to carry on one 

 successfully. I am sure on these questions you will find these various 

 people who represent club work, local leaders, home demonstrators and 

 the county agent willing and anxious to help out. 



I was interested in some figures collected from published accounts which 

 showed in Iowa the past year that the average county fair paid out about 

 $120 for the boys' and girls' classes. Of course you realize some fairs 

 did not put up any and some put up a considerably larger amount, but 

 since it figured $12,000 offered it made the average about $120. We add 

 that to about $9,000 which was paid through the Iowa State Fair and we 

 have something like $21,000 as the amount offered in premiums to boys 



