594 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



PERMANENT WALKS ALL OVER GROUNDS. 



Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been expended on these fair 

 grounds in the matter of improvement for the comfort and convenience 

 of its visitors in getting about over the grounds, from one building to 

 another and from one section of the ground to another. Sidewalks are 

 now so abundantly supplied that one may walk all day on cement or 

 cinder pavement and be free from the annoyance of mud in case of rain. 



One of the greatest fair grounds improvements in the United States is 

 the Iowa State Fair hog barn, two or three times as large as any other 

 state would have occasion to use under the most encouraging conditions 

 of swine industry. It exceeds the demands of Iowa up to the present 

 date, and Iowa boasts of an annual average of more than 3,000 hogs on 

 exhibition at its state fair. 



NEW MACHINERY HALL. 



The next feature of strong demand with this big fair was a place to 

 house its immense acreage of farm machinery that was obliged to set out- 

 doors in the open or under tent. The building of machinery halls for 

 many years helped to satisfy the requirements of the best exhibitors. 

 Then there came a period that the big machinery hall seemed the only 

 recourse for the fair management. This year a six-acre lot was surveyed, 

 platted into blocks and streets and a fine steel building erected on this, 

 covering one-half the lot, three acres. This one-half was completed for the 

 1911 fair at a cost of about $85,000, the other half will be added to it next 

 year, thus completing a six-acre steel building, exclusively for machinery, 

 implements, tools, etc., commonly found in state fair machinery depart- 

 ment displays. The magnitude of this structure cannot be appreciated 

 until one steps inside the present three-acre building. The machinery 

 exhibit this year was larger and better in most respects than ever before. 

 There were more exhibitors, many never having previously attended this 

 fair. 



The grandstand at the race track, now experiencing its second year in 

 service, is one of the highly appreciated structures. 



_ AGRICULTURAL HALL ATTRACTS CROWDS. 



The Agricultural hall is a substantially constructed brick building capa- 

 ble of holding an immense display of mixed exhibits for which it is used. 

 It contains the agricultural products display, the horticultural exhibit, em- 

 bracing all fruits and appliances pertaining to the fruit crop industry; 

 the floral exhibit, the bee and honey display, the dairy exhibit, butter, 

 cheese, cream separators and all that belongs to the operation of milk or 

 butter handling. Scores of other specialties arc added to the exposi- 

 tion interests of this building, until it becomes the place of entertainment 

 for many people and usually holds a crowded house. 



