FIFTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IV 243 



of the show appears in the fact that the first prize aged mare at the 1913 

 international stood second in class to Dinarth Roany, a beautiful mare 

 with excellent quality and action. 



IOWA HOMESTEAD, DE8 MOINES, IOWA. 



The Iowa State Pair is an institution of which any state might justly 

 be proud. Leading in the production of corn, oats, hay and hogs, it is 

 only right and proper that Iowa should also lead in the annual exposition 

 which calls the attention of the world to the agricultural resources of 

 the fertile heart of America. It is given to Iowa to open the grain-belt 

 series of state fairs. No other state holds an exposition which can equal 

 the Iowa one in the quality and quantity of live stock and farm products 

 displayed. 



The 1914 Iowa State Fair, held at Des Moines, will go down in history 

 as the biggest and best — from an exhibit standpoint — in the long and 

 honorable list. For sixty years Iowa has been inviting the world to its 

 doors, bidding it to come, enjoy itself and be instructed. The world did 

 not respond in as large number this year as last, but the fair was worthy 

 of a bigger attendance than has ever yet been accorded to it. 



Considering the fact that there were one-fifth more horses and cattle 

 shown this year than ever before, it becomes apparent that the 1914 Iowa 

 State Fair breaks all records and is entitled to the grand championship 

 sweepstakes. Never before was there such an exhibit of live stock as was 

 to be seen in Des Moines this week, testifying to the high plane which 

 the live stock industry has reached in this state. With the foreign supply 

 cut down almost to the vanishing point, by the seizure of pure-bred mares 

 and stallions for army service, the door of opportunity for the Iowa and 

 the grain-belt breeder is opened as never before. Even a casual glimpse 

 in any of the stables in Des Moines this week would convince the most 

 doubtful that here is one state, at least, which has the stock and the 

 breeders for the crisis. Many of the horsemen declared it will be twenty 

 years before Belgium can export any pure-bred horses. France will be 

 cut down in its exports for at least half that time. In the meantime, it 

 will be to America that the horse industry of the world must look. With 

 its wonderful lead over the rest of the grain belt — the 1910 census showing 

 Iowa to have horses to the value of $188,160,000, or over $10,000,000 in 

 excess of the next leading grain-belt state — it was meet indeed that the 

 horse display at the 1914 Iowa State Fair should have been unsurpassed. 



With the best display of Short-horns ever gathered together, and with 

 every department and class full of splendid entries, the Iowa State Fair 

 for this year was a record-breaker. 



Iowa is accustomed to having ideal weather for its annual fair. It was 

 somewhat of a shock, therefore, to find that the customary ideal brand was 

 not on exhibition this year. The fair started with ideal climatic conditions, 

 it being so cool that the stock was shipped with far less trouble and fewer 

 casualties than usual. But the threatening skies deluged the fair on 

 Monday night, wetting many thousands of sightseers and doing several 



