472 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Beason, make such provision for the housing of the swine department 

 as is commensurate with its importance. 



The long row of dilapidated buildings devoted to the use of eating 

 houses has been replaced by a substantial brick structure devoted to the 

 same purpose this year. It was somewhat of an improvement in appear- 

 ance, but the same old State Pair grub was prominent. 



One of the most noticeable things about the whole fair was the im- 

 mense number of small stands devoted to refreshments and the same of 

 novelties. It would not be out of the way to say that hundreds of these 

 were bunched together. The management sold privileges covering a 

 twenty-foot lot at the rate of $65 for the fair week, and it was a surpris- 

 ing thing that among the great number of them every one transacted 

 business through the week at a profit. 



FARM MACHINERY. 



The machinery department at the Iowa State Fair was a feature 

 of wonder and admiration to all visitors who took the time to investi- 

 gate its mammoth proportions. There were on exhibition giant wagons, 

 plows — in fact, big things in general seemed to be the idea of the novelty 

 — but nothing was so supremely gigantic in all its proportions as the 

 big machinery exhibit as a whole. The superintendent and his assistants 

 were completely exhausted in their efforts to take care of it. 



"How large is your exhibit." was asked the superintendent. 



"I have no way of computing its size except by acres," was the reply. 

 "I have estimated it at thirty-five acres of machinery, and then not nearly 

 all the housed machinery was figured in. It is fully one-third larger 

 than last year, and last year was a record-breaker in this as well as 

 many other departments." 



"How do you account for this increase in machine display?" 



"The idea is this: Farmers have learned that there is no place that 

 affords them advantages equal to the State fair to see and examine ma- 

 chinery that they contemplate needing. They have commenced to put 

 this into practice. They tell their local dealers that they are not going 

 to buy until they see what there is at the State Fair. The local dealer 

 writes his wholesale dealer notifying that factory that sales are going 

 to be lost if there is not some one at the fair with a display to catch 

 these farmers who are going sightseeing to the State Fair. The proposi- 

 tion is a plain one; any business man can see it at a glance — drop in 

 line and show your machines or let the other fellow get the trade, sura 

 thing." 



The tendency is more and more toward the use of the fair as a means 

 of comparison in making selections of articles and animals needed on 

 the farm. It is a good business idea before buying to look around and 

 compare things. This is the only means of protection the purchaser has 

 in getting value received for his money. It sometimes is a satisfaction 

 for him to know that he is getting a bargain, and certainly a gratifica- 

 tion to know that he is not buying a poor article at a big price. 



One estimate put the value of the machinery exhibit at $800,000. This 

 would seem a very conservative guess. It was said by an old machine 



