3 24 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



fillies averaged $6,000. Seven colts and seven fillies by Diamond Jubilee 

 fetched respectively an average of $8,000 and $4,000. Fourteen Jardy 

 colts reached an average of $10,000, and six fillies an average of $5,000. 

 The Vale d'Or colts averaged $4,500, the ten fillies $5,000. Eight other 

 sires of less fame were represented. There are five notable horses in Ar- 

 gentina studs: Diamond Jubilee by St. Simon, for which $150,000 was 

 paid; Cyllene by Bona Nota, costing a similar amount; Jardy and Vale 

 d'Or by Flying Fox, sold for $150,000 and $140,000 respectively, and 

 Polar Star by Pioneer for $90,000. 



There is nothing in the "Old Glory Sale" or any other sale of standard 

 bred or any other breed of horses that has sold anywhere in the world for 

 such prices. The general public likes a running race and it is up to the 

 Fair Associations of the United States to popularize them. In no way can 

 this be done better than by the general recognition of some certain gov- 

 erning organization similar to that of the American Trotting Association 

 government and control the thoroughbred racing. It is simply a question 

 whether or not the Fair Associations themselves will compel all thorough- 

 bred racing to be under certain rules and government. Will they do it? 

 We fully realize that we are laying ourselves liable to be burnt at the 

 stake by one or all of tlie great horse journals of our country, but never- 

 theless a day will come when they will recognize the wisdom of this sug- 

 gestion in this or some other form. 



I am reminded right here of another phase of the agricultural Fair 

 problem, and that is that we have no literature — no compilation contain- 

 ing the knowledge and experience of successful fair managers. In the 

 United States there are about 900 fairs held. They have an attendance 

 of about 30,000,000 people. No other feature affecting the ninety-millions 

 of people of America has had so little attention paid to. it by government. 

 It would seem that where such a large percentage of our entire popula- 

 tion is interested in one particular sort of thing that there would be more 

 general demand for a concentrated knowledge expressed in books as the 

 result of investigations, experiences and observations — but we have no 

 literature. We are still plodding along using what legendary lore we can 

 absorb, and much of that escapes us because there is no storehouse for it. 

 Why this is as it is, is an interesting question, arising in the mind of 

 ambitious fair managers who seek for aid, assistance or comfort. Of 

 course agricultural fairs are never greater than their management. Just 

 as no thing or no enterprise, no article or no book is greater than the 

 conception of the maker or producer. We hold these meetings here and 

 there throughout the United States, first locally, then more generally and 

 we have been holding them for years and years and still if a man were 

 to go out into the market to buy something that would aid in a statistical 

 or any other way, he would find the market bare and void. We evidently 

 are a class of men who strive for the best interests of the fair we rep- 

 resent and then recede. We appear in the lime light a week and then 

 retire to the preparation room. Our course reminds me of the story of 

 Bret Hart's wherein he wrote of once observing in the mountains of north- 

 ern Oregon the deserted cabin of an old miner, built in a hollow over a 

 little stream. It was out in the wilds of a lovely country, lonely, for- 



