524 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
About 2,500 swine is the usual entry. The pens will hold more if pigs are 
plentiful. We found no statistician who had attempted to enumerate the 
actual entries. The pens were full, the quality was high and the argu- 
ments over the decisions of the judges were quite as lively as ever. 
Sheep reached up around 650, which was nearly 150 more than last 
year. The "gentle shepherds" went gunning for one another with all the 
old-time vigor and some highly interesting exhibits were set before on- 
lookers. 
Summing it all up on the entry side. Secretary John C. Simpson author- 
izes the statement that he issued 1,325 exhibitor tickets to the 1908 Iowa 
State Fair — an increase of 130 over last year's total. And thus is epi- 
tomized the story from the inside view of this great fair. 
Iowa railroads are accustomed to hauling the products of the farm in 
vast volume from the prairies of that state. It would seem that they 
should some time grow accustomed to carrying the human products of the 
same farms to the state fair. But railway corporations, like individuals, 
are apt to be of little faith at times. We are writing without a detailed 
knowledge of the attendance at Des Moines last week, but it is known to 
be record-breaking. Just how many thousands more would have been 
clicked up through the turnstiles if the excursion trains could have car- 
ried them will never be known. Reports came from all roads that the 
special trains were running full past station platforms filled with people 
who were headed toward the fair. Last year excursion rates were denied, 
but the unbusiness-like, not to say unpatriotic, nature of this refusal be- 
came manifest and a one and a third round trip was granted. Equipment 
was borrowed by some roads, but cars proved inadequate to the demands 
made on them by farmers who sought opportunity to inspect this great 
agricultural exhibition. The attendance was well distributed. Monday 
was a rousing big day and Tuesday came near breaking the highest day's 
record in the history of the fair. The weather seemed somewhat settled 
from the erraticism which has worried the Iowa farmer. A light shower 
fell early Wednesday morning, but the early opening days were most de- 
lightfully cool — capital for comfort if not for corn. The mercury during 
the closing days reached up more nearly to a normal August mark. The 
attendance was in money-making volume, rejoicing the hearts of the 
managers, proving the loyalty of the Iowa farmer to his central fair, and 
demonstrating anew that the enterprising people of this magnificent agri- 
cultural commonwealth are keen to utilize their educational advantages. 
Iowa is endeavoring to mix entertainment with its instruction at this 
fair. Band concerts and acrobatic performances of varied character are 
sandwiched between the races in front of the grandstand in the afternoon, 
and at night concerts and magnificent fireworks spectacles are presented. 
In addition to this line of attractions, which have been successfully pre- 
sented for some years, the live stock judging pavilion was made a magnet 
of evening attraction by performances which presented one of the most 
remarkable combinations ever witnessed. The fore part of the entertain-^ 
ment brought into the arena magnificent parades of the horses and cat- 
tle on exhibition, each breed preceded by a banner announcing its idenity 
for the benefit of the uninformed. One of the most unique and most pleas- 
