FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— ArT II 197 



terest of all these different industries and aid in putting the state upon a 

 good, firm foundation with reference to them. 



It is upon these things that the state is built. These are the things 

 that are to make us great — agriculture, horticulture, forestry, animal 

 industry. The law is plain that the Agricultural Department is to pro- 

 mote all of these things, and how better can they promote them than 

 through this institution that we call the State Fair? There is constant 

 improvement and bettering of conditions. I am not so very old, but I 

 remember the day on the farm, and I was there until I was twenty- 

 five years of age, when nobody saw such horses as we now see. There 

 has been a wonderful development and improvement of animals. There 

 has been something done in Iowa, something, well, I think it commenced 

 when Darwin discovered the origin of species, and the facts of evolu- 

 tion became well known and adopted by the people throughout the whole 

 country. They saw how, by careful selection, they could develop won- 

 derfully along these lines. So they developed better and finer animals. 

 Development and improvement everywhere in horticulture. Look at the 

 roses, even, that we have in these days! They have been greatly im- 

 proved. The old rose, you know, was not much of a rose at all. So we 

 have had development all along the line, and all growing out of the 

 patient, persistent work of men who have been connected with these 

 affairs in Iowa and elsewhere. That is, where it all comes from — con- 

 stant, persistent study and work all of the time. 



But I have said enough. I have simply tried to suggest, that when 

 you give yourself to this institution, and to the development of it, and 

 to the real purposes of it as expressed in this law I have called attention 

 to, it is a devotion to the very fundamental things that make this state 

 great and are to make it greater in the future. A constant devotion to 

 these things will make us still a richer and better state. I thank you. 



The President : The next nnmber on the program is Horse and 

 Colt Shows. Genth^nien, it is not necessary for me to introduce 

 to you a gentleman who can handle this subject, for I know 

 that you all know him personally, but I do take pleasure in pre- 

 senting to you, Prof. W. J. Kennedy of the Iowa State College. 



Prof. W. J. Kennedy: Mr. Chairman and gentlemen: I do not in- 

 tend to take up very much time this morning because it is getting rather 

 late. The subject assigned to me is Horse and Colt Shows. Now I expect 

 that the great majority of people are familiar with this line of work, 

 but perhaps there are a few here who are not familiar with horse and 

 colt show work as organized in Iowa. 



Last year we had, in the State of Iowa, over eighty horse and colt 

 shows that were separate and distinct from the county fair work. This 

 year we will hold over one hundred horse and colt shows in over two- 

 thirds of the counties in the state. I want to say that this horse and 

 colt show work started in Iowa twelve years ago at the little village of 

 Sheldahl, this side of Ames, where we had eight colts. Later on that show 

 was transferred to Madrid. This work has gone on and on until this 

 year we have held some colt shows in Iowa where we have had over one 



