1010 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



take the best the farm affords and all go to the fair. It furnishes aa 

 incentive for something better to the man with poor stock; for the man 

 with good stock he wishes for the best — ^and the man with the best has 

 to look to the improvement of his stock that the other fellow does 

 not get in the lead. 



A good county fair is the best means of advertising a county can 

 have and in no other way can a county, state or nation advertise its 

 resources as effectually and as cheaply as by putting them on exhibi- 

 tion at one of these fairs. The officers of our state think the county 

 fair of sufficient importance that they appropriate a sum- equal to 40 

 per cent of premiums paid up to $200 each year for the maintenance 

 of a fair. With this generous donation from the state and with about 

 the same amount given by our merchants, the farmers of this county 

 should turn out and do their part to make our fair one of the best in 

 the state. If your product is not sufficiently good to compete at national 

 or state fairs begin at the county fairs and by persistent effort and 

 improvement strive to reach the top. 



A neighbor came to me last fall and asked if he had better exhibit 

 his colt at the fair. I told him that if it was a good one he certainly 

 had. He put him on exhibition and after the fair he told me he only 

 got second premium of $1.00, but he said it paid him for he sold his 

 colt for $50.00 which v/as $10.00 more than he had asked for him before 

 the fair. 



There were many exhibitors at our fair last fall who had never 

 made an exhibit of their products at our fair before who went home 

 well satisfied with the result of the exhibit. 



In conclusion I would urge the farmers of this county to get inter- 

 ested in one of the best institutions that a county affords. Come out 

 not only yourselves, but bring your wife and family if you have them. 

 Bring some articles to exhibit, almost every farm has some animal or 

 product that is worthy of exhibition. Come determined to make our 

 fairs better than any of our neighboring fairs. If the farmers will 

 bring the agricultural products the management will see to it that you 

 have plenty of good, clean attractions and amusements. We can have 

 a balloon ascension or horse race without the farmer, but an Agricul- 

 tural fair must have the support of the farmers' exhibits. 



If a farmer is perfectly contended with his lot, if he does not care 

 to improve in his methods or improve the quality of his products, then 

 the fair has no charms for him. But the fair is for the progressive 

 farmer — the man who wants to farm by up to date methods; the man 

 who is anxious for the best and most profitable kind of stock, grain and 

 all farm products and for the best kind of machinery, for the economi- 

 cal production of the same. This kind of a man can get instruction 

 and profit from a fair, and I leave yourselves to judge which kind of 

 a farmer yon are. 



