712 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



else in the world is there such a fair, for nowhere is there a region 

 which can make possible such agricultural accomplishments. 



The great barns and halls and sheds and canvass tents are eloquent in 

 their testimony of the achievements of brains and industry. Science, 

 theory, skill, hard work and common sense are all evident in these ex- 

 hibits of the breeding pen and the breeding plat until it seems almost 

 in some products the ideal has been attained and the highest develop- 

 ment possible has been secured. Yet so it seemed a few years ago when 

 we were just as proud of our great fair. The advancement has been 

 marked since then. 



GBEAT CEOWDS ATTEND. 



Crowds have thronged through the gates since Friday the opening day, 

 until it now looks as though the attendance would pass considerably 

 beyond the 200,000 mark. Saturday was children's day and troops of 

 happy children, Iowa's greatest product, laughed and cried and took 

 reckless chances and had hair breadth escapes as children always do. 



Sunday was music day. Thousands of people with music in their 

 souls heard the Liberati band — a quiet, orderly, music loving throng — 

 loath to leave when the stirring, patriotic Star Spangled Banner, with 

 tremendous volume and harmony, was played, bringing the listeners to 

 program of the week began on Monday with judging in all of the many 

 their feet in a patriotic demonstration. Then the full and complete 

 program of the week began on Monday with judging in all of the many 

 departments, a remarkable showing of live stock and horses in the stock 

 pavilion, band concerts morning, afternoon and evening; races, vaude- 

 ville, fireworks — a great variety of unusual entertainments. 



EDUCATION ITS THEME. 



More notable than ever was the fair this year as an educational insti- 

 tution. A building was assigned to the Iowa State Agricultural College, 

 and in addition to a comprehensive exhibit gathered from all parts of 

 the state of farm crops, soils, dairy, horticulture, forestry, animal 

 husbandry, as well as the maintenance of departments in domestic science, 

 agricultural engineering and the other departments of the school, there 

 were daily lectures on practical and helpful topics. One end of this 

 building was fitted up as a lecture room. It would seat about 400 

 people. Here crowds of earnest men and women gathered daily to hear 

 the lectures of the Ames professors on subjects on which they are ex- 

 perts. There was a soil map on exhibition showing the soil of each 

 county in the state. Farm equipment, models of silos and models of 

 farm buildings were shown. A large collection of up-to-date dairy 

 apparatus was on exhibition. The domestic science department showed 

 a model kitchen. The unusual in the crop line — ginseng, sugar beets, 

 popcorn, alfalfa, watermelons, bees and the making of honey were on 

 exhibition in the college building. This was under the management 

 of Prof. B. W. Crossley of Ames, who deserves niuch credit for his 

 work. 



