TWELFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XI 531 



published this interesting commentary on the changed appearance of 

 the farmers of today: "What has become of Josh Spruceby, the old-time 

 farmer with the broad-rimmed straw hat, the hickory shirt, the single 

 gallus, the high boots, the chin whiskers, and the straw which always 

 is supposed to stick out of his mouth? He is not at the state fair this 

 year. However, there are several agriculturists there in his place. They 

 came in their automobiles. It is too near September 1st for them to wear 

 straw hats of any variety. They never saw a pair of leather boots and 

 most of them wear silk socks. They don't need a straw to tell which 

 way the wind is blowing, they telephone the weather man anytime they 

 want that information. Hundreds and thousands of city men will have 

 the 1911 Iowa State Fair to thank for a changed conception of the con- 

 dition and appearance of the farmer. Notwithstanding the farmers' wide- 

 spread prosperity there are too many city men who still think of him in 

 the light of the Denman Thompson character in "The Old Homestead." 

 When the accounting is made as to whether state fairs are really worth 

 their price, this factor of the city man's enlightenment should not be over- 

 looked. 



Ezra Meeker and his famous prairie schooner and ox team were sta- 

 tioned on the grounds and attracted much attention, particularly on the 

 part of the pioneers. The wagon which Mr. Meeker exhibited was built 

 in large part from the original prairie schooner in which he crossed the 

 country in 1852, following the famous old Oregon trail. In 1906, Mr. 

 Meeker started from his home in Puyallup, Washington, and retraced his 

 original journey along the historic trail to its termination on the Mis- 

 souri river, then across Iowa and Illinois to his Indiana home. Mr. Meeker 

 is attending the various state fairs of the grain belt in a campaign to 

 interest the people in regard to the Oregon trial, which he hopes to have 

 permanently marked by stone monuments. Mr. Meeker is endeavoring to 

 secure an appropriation from congress for this purpose and believes that 

 if he can sufBcently arouse public sentiment the work will be car- 

 ried on before the last evidences of the trail have forever disappeared. 



The Iowa fish and game exhibit, held in a tent near the live stock 

 pavilion, although not as extensive as the exhibit of last year, was highly 

 interesting and attracted thousands of visitors. Iowa is behind other 

 states of the grain belt, notably Minnesota, in this matter of interesting 

 state fair visitors in its fish and game possibilities. Warden Lincoln is to 

 be congratulated on making as good a showing as possible with the funds 

 available. It will be recalled that interest in pheasants was awakened at 

 the fair last year, with the result that hundreds of farmers were supplied 

 with these birds and have learned their utility. With such an excellent 

 showing made under such adverse circumstances the past two years it 

 begins to look as though this department would soon be entitled to a per- 

 manent display building such as the one which so interests visitors at the 

 Minnesota State Fair. 



