730 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The ubiquitous falvir was much in evidence, but a decided change for 

 the better is noticed in the character of the side shows. The best part of 

 most of them, however, can be seen on the outside of the canvas, which 

 is evident they are not as clean and unobjectionable as they might be. 

 How many sandwiches and ice cream cornucopias were consumed during 

 the week we have not been able to ascertain. You might think that the 

 Kossuth county diet consisted of sandwiches and ice cream unless you 

 tried the church ladies' spread, which was quite like home. The live 

 stock, perhaps, attracted more working farmers than any other feature of 

 the fair. This year it was well up to the previous offerings in quality and 

 numbers. Draft horses made a fine showing; light horses and ponies 

 also were well represented. Sheep, hogs, fat cattle, dairy breeds and 

 poultry had high scoring animals in every class, and taken together made 

 an educational influence which cannot be measured. The seed corn show 

 was very complete, even the boys taking an active part. You who 

 viewed the tables groaning under the weight of luscious fruit told that 

 the old saying is true that "horticulture is the refinement of agriculture 

 and a willing guide for its regeneration." Paintings and flowers, fancy 

 articles, domestic department, educational and pantry stores all shared 

 alike the admiration of the visitors, showing there is one kind of educa- 

 tion that is rapidly growing in popularity, namely, the useful education. 

 After leaving the fair grounds last September we felt there was on thing 

 lacking. No lecture or classes had been conducted pointing to the visitors 

 the points of difference and advantages of each type shown. 



Now we are proud of our splendid college of agriculture and we are 

 glad of the short course that is fitting our men and women for better 

 work. But we find so few farmers or their wives are able or so disposed 

 to attend the short course held at Ames college every year. Would it 

 not be practicable to conduct a short course in all departments at our 

 county fair, calling it the local agricultural school. A corn judging de- 

 partment conducted by an expert from our state college at Ames. A live 

 stock judging course will also be included and for this purpose some of 

 the very best herds from our own county and adjoining counties can be 

 used for instruction purposes. There ought also to be included in this 

 short course a course in domestic science under the supervision of some 

 instructor from the agricultural college. I believe that a few hours daily 

 during the four days of our county fair would be the beginning of a new 

 era for the farm woman and one that is worth the best efforts of every 

 woman interested in the uplift of home life in our midst. If the educa- 

 tion of right living teaches better and easier ways of doing things, if it 

 helps to economize our household expen-ses and to secure better results 

 for our labor, if it saves time and strength and means better health and 

 brighter intellects and a more wholesome family life then it is surely 

 worth trying for. When this short course is an established fact at our 

 county fair such side show as "Nova, She Eats Mud," and the "French 

 Theater" will be a thing of the past, and the young men and women will 

 feel that a better and larger life is coming their way. In the doing and 

 accomplishment of this the home life on the farm will be such an at- 

 tractive one that the question of how to educate our young men and 

 women to stay on the farm will be settled and settled right. 



