EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART II 37 



war and the farmers will be one of the greatest factors in doing 

 it. America with one-third of the gold of the world and supply- 

 ing all the allies with means and food to carry on their part in 

 this war, that when this war is over the United States will stand 

 out pre-eminently the greatest nation on the face of the globe. 

 She is now from an agricultural standpoint and then she will be 

 from a financial standpoint, and that is thvj reason why I say 

 this land between the two great rivers will be worth from $300 

 to $500 per acre ; because Iowa has stood the test, not only in 

 times of peace but in war. 



At the annual meeting of the American Association of Fairs 

 and Expositions last week in Chicago there was represented a 

 larger delegation than has even been present at :i meeting held 

 by that association. Out of a total membership of fifty-eight, 

 forty-six societies sent delegates ; all of these came from states 

 ranging from California to New York; from Florida to Canada, 

 and a more enthusiastic bunch of fair managers was never be- 

 fore gathered togetJier. With the exception of three or four all 

 reported a larger attendance and greater receipts for this year 

 than any year in the history of their societies. The three or four 

 who reported a decrease credited it to bad weather and I think 

 that reason holds good with all state, county and district fairs. 



I wish to give you an extract from the report of the commit- 

 tee on statistics for the American Association of Fairs and Ex- 

 positions. "What fairs and expositions represent is an important 

 question to the Federal Government, in the ■consideration of the 

 establishment of desired co-operation, the committee believes is 

 an ansAver to the question : Wliat do the fairs and expositions 

 of the American Association of Fairs and expositions represent? 

 In a material w^ay the fifty American fairs and expositions in this 

 association represent, in round figures, a combined investment of 

 $50,000,000. They are operated at a cost exceeding $5,000,000 

 each year. Their receipts each year exceed $5,000,000 and they 

 are attended by more than 8,000,000 people. This includes all 

 of the big fairs and expositions in the United States. TJiey are 

 the leaders among the fairs of the country and each in its own 

 state, or wider tributary territory, sets the pace for the smaller 

 fairs. The importance of these fifty fairs and expositions in this 

 one respect alone m^ay be parti v realized when it is known that 

 there are in the United Stat("s 1,500 smaller fairs and expositions 



