458 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



are striving, just as the organizations are in this, to advance all these 

 interests, and so, Mr. President, I want to call your attention to the fact 

 that we are to have worthy competitors for this first position in the 

 agricultural world. I believe that with the splendid citizenship of the 

 state, with the splendid organizations, and its institutions, that no state 

 can take the first place from us, and so I am here to work with you and 

 to help you to see that they do not take it away from Iowa. 



The first prize essay, "What I Saw and Learned at the Iowa 

 State Fair," by Forest H. Ford, Tipton, Iowa, was then read by 

 Secretary Corey. 

 ''What I saw and learned at the loua State Fair and Exposition'': 



A useful exposition of the resources of a state is a hard thing to se- 

 cure and equally hard to maintain. Much credit is due the managers of 

 the Iowa state fair for the degree in which they have reached success 

 in both particulars. Taken all in all it was the best state fair which 

 has ever been held in this, or any other state. 



The real value of the state fair cannot be realized until one has visited 

 it, for "seeing is believing." 



In taking up the study of exhibits we find every class filled with the 

 richest products from our Hawkeye state, as well as from many of our 

 neighboring states. 



One of the most interesting exhibits on the grounds was that of ma- 

 chinery. This was magnificent, both in magnitude and variety. Here 

 we saw the best and could decide for ourselves what makes we liked best, 

 and which would save the most labor. The manner in which gasoline 

 and kerosene is displacing wood and coal as power, was evidenced by 

 the large number of gas tractors and gasoline engines. Stave, panel, 

 and block silos of various kinds; convenient and sanitary equipment for 

 barns; cream separators and many other of the almost "one hundred 

 and one" machines which the modern farmer requires had its place. 

 From the time one landed from the street car, and all through the long 

 circuit of the grounds, there was not a minute when the hum or whir of 

 some machine making farming easier w^as not heard. 



In visiting the horticultural exhibits, we found a large display of ap- 

 ples, plums, grapes and other Iowa fruits. Apples useful in the home 

 orchard were present in great abundance, emphasizing the fact that Iowa 

 farmers may supply their own table practically the year around with 

 fruit raised right at home. 



The exhibit of grain was large and the quality very good. Almost 

 every kind of grain grown in Iowa was on exhibition and proved to be an 

 interesting, as well as an educational exhibit. From every section of the 

 state came stories of bountiful crops. The Iowa farmer certainly chanted 

 the song of plenty at Des Moines on fair week. 



Another interesting exhibit was that made by the pure food commis- 

 gion. A striking display was made of brilliantly colored candies, which 

 owed their wopderful tints sglely to injurious dyes, 



