778 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



ments scattered over too large an area of land, requiring too much 

 worry and travel to get from one to the other, is now being commented 

 upon favorably by fair people who each season visit a number of state 

 fairs as being wisely and well planned. Its present condition shows 

 that it has developed in department requirements and their accessories, 

 until the fair grounds have filled up, grown like a great city into a 

 solid habitation of business and industry. 



PLACES OF REST FOR THE WEARY. 



The parking of a state fair grounds, wherever a few rods of space 

 can be devoted to this purpose, is possibly the very best business in- 

 vestment that a state fair board can practice. A little shade and a few 

 rest seats meets the approval of 99 per cent of all the people on the 

 grounds. Iowa has not overlooked this feature of demand from the 

 weary mother with her babe to the other sight-seers who are almost 

 ready to drop down any place for rest, a moment's relief. Thousands 

 of settees are scattered over the parked divisions of the grounds and 

 invite the weary and foot-tired pedestrians to rest. 



The machinery department at this fair is one of the most interesting 

 features of exhibition because of its general character, covering prac- 

 tically every line of machinery, tool, implement and device used on 

 the farm, about the home or in general service over the country. The 

 big machinery hall, where acres of machinery are housed and arranged 

 for exhibition, is an eye-opener to the immensity of display in this 

 department. But when one attempts to make a tour of the forty acres 

 of machinery outside of this big hall he feels that the Iowa State Fair 

 is too big a proposition for a one-week canvass and feels like petition- 

 ing the fair board to give the exhibition, tbe sight-seer and the inter- 

 ested public an extension of time of at least four more days. The 

 machinery department is estimated by the superintendent of that 

 division to be one-third larger than at any former fair and of a char- 

 acter much finer in display. 



BUILDING OF GREAT VARIETY. 



The big agricultural building was the feature of general attraction 

 from the fact of its general character of exhibit. This building provides 

 for the fruit and floral exhibits, dairy, bees and honey, the state agri- 

 cultural exhibit by counties or farms, and also gives space to land 

 companies and outside advertising firms and farm land exhibits. It 

 has many features of display of interest to the farmer, horticulturist 

 and dairyman. The dairy department has its special attractions in 

 this building. The farm products display was larger and better than 

 at any former fair. The fruit was not so good in quality, but in 

 quantity was about the same as other years. This building provides 

 the visitor with the greatest variety of entertainment of any place on 

 the grounds; it also takes care of many concessions that are best 

 served, where many people congregate to rest and take their time to 

 look at the attractions and entertainment features. 



