124 TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III. 



the breeders of the state came to the support of the show in good num- 

 bers and showed that Iowa is still the leading hog state of the Union, 

 by putting on a show that has seldom if ever been equalled. There was 

 real interest in the show from the time the first ring was driven out. 

 The benches were filled with spectators who watched the judging care- 

 fully. 



POULTRY SHOW AT IOWA STATE FAIR 



"The best show we have ever had," declared Mr. Warner, superintend- 

 ent of the poultry show, "because there isn't a huckster in the building; 

 every bird is shown by a breeder." 



Mr. E. C. Branch, Harry Atkins and E. D. Monilaw judged the chickens 

 and turkeys and Mr. Oscar Grow the water fowl. "The finest exhibit of 

 Pekin ducks I ever saw, not barring Chicago," Mr. Warner commended, 

 and indeed the ducks of all breeds and varieties were a great show. In 

 the Pekins, there were 12 old drakes, 14 young; 14 old ducks, 13 young. 

 Of other varieties there were White Aylesbury, Colored Rouens, Black 

 Cayuga, Gray Call, White Call, Fawn and White India Runner, Blue 

 Swedish, Black East India, White Crested, Colored Muscovey, White 

 Muscovey, Buff Orpington. 



The geese were housed outside of the poultry building; they were good 

 pullers for the poultry show — the finest geese Iowa State Fair has pro- 

 duced. The varieties were Gray Toulouse, White Embden, Gray African, 

 Brown Chinese, White Chinese. 



The turkeys were limited to White Hollands. There is nothing prettier 

 than a White Holland turkey, but turkeys show off to poor advantage in 

 * the heat of an August show, and even the prize winners were better birds 

 than they looked to be in the coops. 



Going through the poultry building it seems as though the same birds 

 in the same coops are there from year to year. This year birds averaged 

 larger than last year; the quality just a little better so far as color and 

 fitting was concerned. There are always some birds of such poor quality 

 that one wonders why the owner did not know his breed well enough to 

 keep them at home. There are always a few that are disqualified. The 

 sending of a disqualified fowl to the poultry show is as often the result of 

 carelessness as of ignorance. We feel sorry when the excellence of an 

 entire pen of fowls must be thrown under suspicion because of disquali- 

 fication of one. We were glad to note this year that the cause of dis- 

 qualification was marked on the cards. 



One could have taken out all of the first prize winners in the Reds, 

 Barred Rocks and White Wyandottes and still have had a good poultry 

 show. In the White Wyandotte pullet class there were 31 entries. The 

 sweepstakes pullet was a beautiful bird, well matured, well washed and 

 conditioned, and deserving of the honor of the best pullet in the show 

 room. The barring of the Barred Rocks brought forth exclamations of 

 admiration from visitors. 



The sweepstakes cockerel had 21 competitors in his class, and was 

 worthy of his honors of the best cockerel in the show room. 



We regret that we do not have space for the entire list of premium 

 winners. The poultry show of the club boys and girls was held in poul- 



