THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART II. 103 



Iowa leads the world in its swine exhibit. This year the number of 

 entries were over 900, and the number of hogs on the grounds being 

 something over 1,700. I believe I am safe in saying that at least 70 

 per cent of the hogs shown at our fair, change hands before being taken 

 from the grounds. One exhibitor this year informed me that he received 

 over $800 for the thirty-two he brought to the fair. 



The sheep exhibit was rather light but of good quality. The number 

 of entries were as large as could be expected from a state that raises as 

 few sheep as Iowa. However, I should state that the exhibit consisted 

 of some of the best flocks in America, from the states of New York, Mich- 

 igan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa. 



The machinery display excelled all past exhibitions of this kind, 

 and if there was one feature of the fair that more than another indicated 

 the great prosperity that the state is enjoying, it was this department. 

 It is one of the great educational features of the fair. Implement dealers, 

 farmers and live stock men spent many hours in this department and 

 the exhibitors all seemed pleased with the interest shown in their exhibits. 

 The space set aside for the department presented a far different appear- 

 ance from that of a few years ago, when many of the large manufactur- 

 ing concerns signed an agreement not to exhibit at state fairs. 



The exhibits in the agriculural, horticultural, dairy and art depart- 

 ments were up to the usual standards. While the showing of corn was 

 not as good as it would have been had the season been less backward, it 

 was much better than was looked for a few weeks before the fair. The 

 county exhibits were especially good this year, and the display of fruits 

 in the horticultural building has seldom been excelled. 



The poultry exhibit of the fair this year was the largest ever shown 

 and attracted more attention than in previous years. 



CHANGES IN PREMIUM LIST FOR 1903. 



I wish to call the attention of the members of the state board to a 

 few changes in the premium list which I would recommend for another 

 year. Several years ago a 10 per cent entry fee was enacted for all en- 

 tries made. This worked a hardship on many exhibitors, some of them 

 paying as much as fifty or sixty dollars in entry fees and receiving no 

 premiums. This rule was changed later on and instead of charging the 

 fee on each entry made, the ten per cent was deducted from all premiums 

 awarded, thus eliminating the entrance fee from those not receiving 

 premiums. Having conversed with many of the exhibitors this year, be- 

 fore and since holding our fair, at the Illinois State Fair and the Inter- 

 national Live Stock Show, I find them almost a unit in condemning our 

 rule which takes from them 10 per cent of their premiums. So far as 

 I have been able to learn, from an examination of the premium lists of 

 other state fairs, the Iowa fair is the only one that now exacts this ten 

 per cent, and I now believe that for the best interests of our fair in the 

 future this rule should be abolished. 



Another matter that should be given careful consideration by cur 

 state board, is the advisability of issuing a catalogue of the cattle and 



