72 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



stitute a higli type of product of any kind are wrong, certainly lie is not 

 going to attain a Mgh degree of excellence. The fair then is of great 

 advantage to the visitors in that respect. 



Now the fairs have been improved largely in making the educational 

 feature more prominent. The stock pavilion over here, and the new hor- 

 ticultural and agricultural building, have been a great benefit in that 

 line, they have enabled visitors to see exhibits under much more favor- 

 able circumstances. The bringing of live stock exhibits in one large 

 Coliseum building, with comfortable seating capacity, wit hcatalogues 

 giving information and with catalogue numbers displayed on the at- 

 tendants, enables people to get the information they want about the ex- 

 hibits before them, and to see the animals brought before them for com- 

 parison. It is very essential I think that we make the most out of these 

 educational features of the fair. This principle of comparison, of es- 

 tablishing standards, is one upon which sucessful work of all kind must 

 be based. 



It is related, and accurately T believe, that in the earlj^ days of the life 

 of John Ruskin, the great artist, his father, whose business I'equired him 

 to travel extensively, took the boy with him on trips to foreign countries, 

 and he often visited great art gallaries, and in order that the boy might 

 have nothing but the highest ideals put before him the father often pre- 

 ceded him into rooms of the gallaries and took pains that he see only 

 pictures and works of art of the highest standard. That is the way 

 with the boy who is brought to the state fair ground where the highest 

 products of live stock, grain, implements and all other devices calcu- 

 lated to advance the agricultural interests are brought together. It is 

 the place where the highest types and standards are displayed, so that 

 the educational influence being extended in this way by the object lesson 

 method is very large indeed, it is one which cannot be calculated in its 

 influence for good in reaching young men and oid men. It presents the 

 latest method, the latest improvements in agricultural work. 



Then the benefits to the exhibitors are numerous. It is generally con- 

 ceded that there are no better means of advertising than the bringing of 

 products upon the state fair ground in competition with those who are 

 engaged in similar work, and before those who are interested in these 

 products. In many instances the exhibitor does not find exhibiting pro- 

 fitable so far as the actual returns are concerned in the way of premiums. 

 In many instances the premiums will hardly compensate for the expense 

 incurred. There is a great expense in preparing products, particularly 

 live stock) for the fairs. A man needs to begin a year in advance, as 

 soon as one fair is over almost he needs to begin preparation for the 

 next fair, and there is a large outlay in preparing these products. Then 

 the returns in the way of premiums will not compensate for this, but 

 the returns that come to a man in the way of establishing a reputation, 

 and establishing the merits of his stock are very much greater than 

 any returns which come through other lines. The man who establishes 

 a reputation for his products attains a name as a producer of high class 

 products, has in a measure added to his working capital, and that is in 



