EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X. 729 



had been received at the home ou the farm was well adapted to concen- 

 trate and hold the wind to his task, be it long or short, interesting or tire- 

 some to him. This may be accounted for by knowing that every child 

 at an early age is given his work. Usually made responsible for the life 

 and well being of some plant or animal, from this beginning they soon 

 feel the responsibility of several plants and animals resting upon them, 

 and so on until they learn to devote all the energy they possess upon any 

 charge given them, caring for animals or plant life, translating a sentence 

 in Latin or solving a problem in geometry and finally as men and women 

 meeting successfully all requirements of the world, be it in the line of 

 finance, state affairs or leading armies to victory. 



When that patient, persistent Scotch tenant farmer, Amos Cruickshank, 

 began his work of creating modern and more practical type of cattle, up 

 amid the bleak hillsides of his native country, he lifted higher where he 

 stood than his fellow breeders. Close application, intelligent methods 

 and persistence of purpose evolved at the end of twenty years a breed of 

 cattle recognized the world over. "When the late M. W. Dunham, as a 

 young farmer, saw the first Percheron horse brought into Illinois he be- 

 came impressed with the possibilities and the immense value to the farm- 

 ing interests of improving the horses of the United States. This led to 

 the establishment of a princely estate which stands as a beacon light in 

 American agriculture. When that veteran Clydesdale breeder, Colonel 

 Holloway, bought the first Clydesdale he already had in mind the type of 

 draft horses which was later to command the admiration and approval 

 of two continents. 



When James Reid, then an obscure farmer, conceived the possibility of 

 creating a more profitable and pure bred type of seed corn he lifted where 

 he stood in the improvement of this great staple crop of the Mississippi 

 valley. 



There are many new problems before the young farmer today. The 

 work calls for the highest talent and the best training available. 



The oflBcers of our county fair believe thoroughly in lifting where they 

 stand. See the decided improvement on our picturesque fair grounds. 

 These grounds are the most beautiful and complete of any in the State 

 and additions constantly are being made that add to their beauty and 

 convenience. The new barns are the pride of the cattle and horse men. 

 Floral hall, the finest in northern Iowa. The ladies' rest cottage a blessing 

 of which any fair can well be proud. What a blessing this fair has been 

 to the farmers. It has been the high school, the college or the university 

 for many of us. All the year we have been living in the narrow circle of 

 our own small community and have been traveling in the same old rut. 

 But the announcement of the county fair arouses us from our bed of con- 

 tentment, and we go forth to see better animals than we have seen in 

 many a day, to examine the fruits of the fields and the latest improve- 

 ment in farm machinery, and best of all, to just mingle with the crowd, 

 where we shake hands with old acquaintances and form new friendships. 

 And we go home with new inspirations and aspirations, feeling better and 

 bigger and broader, learning lessons which we can carry home and put 

 into practice on the farm. 



