296 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Harding-, Senator Cummins and other notables. It was not long after the 

 fair came to an end before these boys — the gallant old Third Iowa — re- 

 ceived their marching orders. They have been in the trenches of France 

 now for several months past. They have undergone the baptism of fire 

 and of blood. They were "in at the death" at Chantigy, at Chateau Thierry, 

 at a dozen other places which are imperishable in American history be- 

 cause it was there that American blood stained the soil of France, and 

 American valor pushed the Huns back toward the Rhine. The boys who 

 were at the 1917 Iowa State Fair are in France today, some of them never 

 to return, for they have paid the^ big price of life itself that the world 

 might be kept free. But their memory was everywhere on the fair grounds 

 this year. The flags of the United States, France and England flew over 

 the grandstand as they had flown last year, and new soldier boys — a hand- 

 ful of them compared with the thousands last year — were there to keep 

 the martial spirit alive. But the visitors looked on the soldier boys this 

 year with eyes of sadness, for they brought memories of the boys "over 

 there;" still they were eyes of pride too, for the boys "over there" 

 are doing their bit so nobly and bravly. Hence it was that when 

 the military band or the Jackie band from the Great Lakes Naval Training 

 Station played, patriotism ran riot, that when the flag or a soldier came 

 in view loyalty mounted high, that patriotism became, after all, the 

 dominant, far-sounding keynote of Iowa's great fair. 



In some respects, perhaps, the fair will be classed as a disappointment; 

 there were no records of people and of dollars broken, but there was a 

 seriousness about the whole fair that struck one over and over again. 

 Farmers came to learn. The labor problem is serious and growing more 

 so each day. Farm labor is scarce; the farmer must work harder himself, 

 therefore he wants labor-saving and time-saving machinery, and the fair 

 gave him his opportunity to inspect it and choose from a great variety. 



"A Million Acres of Winter Wheat in Iowa" is the slogan heard on 

 every lip these days; Iowa is becoming a wheat state as it had never plan- 

 ned or expected to become, and while corn is still king, the Iowa farmer 

 has to learn wheat methods and the fair gave him his opportunity. It is 

 hardly to be wondered at that Iowa, having given 86,010 boys and men to 

 the army and the navy (a great majority of these having come from the 

 farm) should be unable to Send as many men to the fair this year as last. 

 There was farm work to be done and but few men to do it; hence, the at- 

 tendance was not up to last year's record-breaking figure. Again, the ex- 

 hibits w^ere not as large. There were many empty stalls in the stables; 

 the shortage of labor, the high cost of transportation, the high price of 

 feed, all these and many other things combined to keep the stock exhibits 

 down. There were many empty spaces in Machinery Hall; the fair was by 

 no means "the biggest and best," as has been said every year lately in ut- 

 most truth. But it was a great fair, a wonderful fair, and it will never 

 be forgotten, for production, conservation and patriotism make a harmony 

 which will ring in the ears long after the tumult and the shouting dies, 

 the captains and the kings depart. The Iowa Homestead will always con- 

 sider the 1918 fair one of the very best and the very finest of all the long 

 line, for there was a sentiment to it which has attached to no other. The 

 government is to be congratulated on encouraging such fairs at such a 

 time. 



The weather for the most part was ideal; a trifle warm at times during 

 the day, but always pleasant in the evening. Threatened rains on Wednes- 

 day cut the attendance down somewhat that day, so that Tuesday was the 

 big day this year. However, the attendance on that day was 13,000 below 

 the record for the same day last year. Up to the close of the gates on 

 Tuesday night, the total attendance was 180,556, as compared with 222,043 

 for the same length of time last year. With the appearance of the British 

 aerial mission, whicli was due to fly from Kansas City to Des Moines 



