740 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Redemption proceeds apace in the agricultural building. Its roof 

 shelters the products of Iowa soil, and the boomers of other farm lands 

 made their displays under canvas in other parts of the ground. The 

 regeneration of the exhibits in this building has been gratifying. Many 

 square feet were devoted to exhibits of individual farm products, and 

 in these farm displays he who runs may read an astonishing record of 

 versatility and excellence of production. If one stops to count the dif- 

 ferent products he will lose time on his schedule, as they are not quickly 

 enumerated. Taste was evinced in their presentation and the home 

 pride kindled by such displays must inevitably engender corresponding 

 sentiment in the minds of other farmers. 



The small grain exhibits were amazing. Corn of course is in the 

 making, and a small show from last year's fields gave hint only of 

 the maize possibility of the state, but the sheafs of small grain bore con- 

 firmatory evidence of the sensational yields reported from all sections of 

 the state where the separators have been at work. 



The State Dairy and Food Commission is to be credited with excellent 

 missionary work. Its exhibits were attractive and its facts and figures, 

 briefly presented in predigested form, were very convincing. 



Up on the hill the agricultural college at Ames made very complete 

 representation of its leading lines of work, and bright young men were 

 in attendance to add whatever of explanation the visitor desired. A 

 lecture room was filled twice a day and a capital lift was thus given 

 to the serious educational w^ork of the fair. The public school exhibit, 

 presenting the handiwork of the modern schools which train the hand as 

 well as the head, continues to impress itself on visitors. 



More than 2^200 people were camped on the grounds for the greater 

 part of the week. The camp ground on the hill among the beautiful 

 trees was this year laid out in streets and alleys, so skillfully that 

 vehicles could be navigated along them without cutting out any of the 

 trees. Each tent was numbered and a directory maintained at camp 

 headquarters, so any camper could be readily located by callers. This 

 way of seeing and studying the fair is steadily growing in popularity. 



Not every Iowa farmer owns an auto. Not all who own cars came to 

 the fair. But in another year it will become a problem as to parking 

 the cars during the day. They now line the main streets in a solid 

 row, but their increase is so rapid that in a few years space must be 

 found outside the grounds for their storage during the day. Most of 

 them were palpably farmers' cars. The man at the steering wheel indi- 

 cated it and his passengers confirmed it. Some came with tent poles and 

 canvas roped onto the side of the car, with other camp outfit on the 

 trunk rack. It seemed that nearly every car had a different town pen- 

 nant, and they came from miles away. The Iowa dirt roads are notor- 

 iously good. The road drag has solved that problem for most months in 

 the year. The law requires its use. No road is so good for a motor car 

 as a smooth dirt road, and motoring is in high and growing favor in 

 Iowa. 



