NINETEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART II 59 



Instead, when he remembers the grievous scarcity of the class of 

 labor required in preparing and making exhibits, the attendant ex- 

 pense and the uncertainty of traffic conditions he finds himself won- 

 dering that the displays were so numerous. There was a noticeable 

 absence of the tempting displays of candies, cakes arid other tooth- 

 some dainties that were seen in the kitchen and pantry department 

 in other years. Live stock exhibits, particularly in the horse and 

 cattle departments, were somewhat fewer than formerly, due partly 

 to the unfortunate clash of dates between the Iowa and Illinois 

 fairs. As usual the machinery show was a mighty one. If there 

 was any falling off in this department it was found in the dis- 

 plays of smaller implements and appliances shown under cover 

 )f Machinery Hall, not in the big machines outside. This, too, 

 is consistent with the present trend of farming operations which 

 seek to counterbalance the growing scarcity of man power with 

 mechanical power in the form of bigger machines. 



There were very few county exhibits. Plainly the people were 

 too busy with other affairs to spare the time and labor necessary 

 to prepare an exhibit of this character. The few in evidence were 

 very good indeed. Buena Vista county won a blue ribbon with 

 a nice display of products, the central figure or decoration being 

 a!i excellent reproduction of the Liberty Bell, done in small grains 

 and grass seed. It was a very artistic bit of work. Polk county 

 won a prize with a study in golden browns and tans, harvest 

 colors befitting the time and occasion. A conspicuous part of the 

 exhibit was Polk county's Service Flag worked out in red, white 

 and old-fashioned blue corn. Individual farm exhibits were forth 

 in about the usual number, as good and as nicely arranged, prob- 

 ably as were ever seen at the fair. There was a fine display of 

 fruits, early varieties of course predominating, much better, as a 

 whole, than would have been expected in the face of the unfavor- 

 able reports coming from the fruit-growing districts of the state. 



One of the most impressive features of the entire fair was the 

 show of baby beef, when 107 proud Iowa lads and lassies, mostly 

 of a very tender age, led their charges into the big judging ring 

 in the Stock Pavilion to try for the prizes. It was the hardest 

 undertaking set for any of the judges during the fair to pick the 

 prize winners and sort the herd according to individual worth and 

 excellence. Professor Pew, formerly of Ames, who, by the way, 

 is entitled to be called the originator of the baby-beef movement in 

 Iowa, spent the good part of a half day with these young lowans 



