528 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



on exhibition. Seventy-eight of the exhibitors at the World's Fair received 

 medals accompanied by a diploma which recites the points of excellence 

 in the exhibits, and to those companies and creameries, 128 awards were 

 given in all, so you see Iowa made an excellent showing. Iowa showed 

 higher score of points in the four consecutive tests than any other state. 

 The space allotted to us in the exposition was 50 lineal feet of glass cases, 

 and this space held about 100 tubs of butter, and no other state had more 

 space than Iowa. I have a personal pride and interest with you in main- 

 taining this excellent record at the new World's Fair, and thereby extend- 

 ing the reputation and gaining more extensive markets for the dairy 

 products of Iowa. The honor of having butter on exhibit at the World's 

 Fair is an opportunity which does not come in the lifetime of many. To 

 be enrolled in the catalogues and have the privilege of competing is a mark 

 of merit in itself. Iowa must sustain its reputation as the banner dairy 

 state when it comes to winning universal honors. It is the desire not only 

 uf the Iowa commissioners, but of the St. Louis W 7 orld's Fair people that 

 space should be applied for as early as possible. You know the catalogues 

 will have to be printed long before the exposition opens, and unless appli- 

 cation is made and names and residences given your names will not appear 

 in the catalogues, therefore this is of importance. There are many gentle- 

 men here no doubt who participated in the exhibit at the Columbian Expo- 

 sition, and the Iowa Commissioners look to you for help in this matter. I 

 don't know what you think would be best in the matter. Whether the com- 

 missioners should correspond with your executive committee, or whether 

 you think favorably of appointing a special committee for this purpose. 

 Circulars will no doubt be printed and circulated among you later with 

 reference to exhibits in this department. I hope to enlist the co-operation 

 of Mr. Wright, the state dairy commissioner, and with your co-operation 

 too, we shall undoubtedly make it a success. We have the pastures and 

 cows, the creameries and butter makers, and the men with ability, push 

 and capital to carry this through, and who shall say we cannot make a 

 success of it. 



I stated at the outset that I didn't know anything about making butter 

 under the processes of today, but I have half a notion to take it back. I 

 used to know something about making butter and selling it in the pioneer 

 days, and I don't know but what I will relate it. for your amusement, not 

 instruction. 



I came to Bocne county in 1859, and set up a country store at the cor- 

 ners, with a blacksmith shop and postoffice. In those days there was no 

 money in the country, and there were half a dozen things at the store 

 which were current exchange, beeswax, honey, muskrat skins, coon and 

 mink skins, dry hides and maple sugar. Going into a new country like 

 that I was studying what could be done to have something produced which 

 could be exchanged for merchandise and used for money. Every man in 

 the country had one or more cows and made butter for his own use, but 

 there was no one to buy it, and the nearest railroad was Iowa City. After 

 I had been there I got to thinking about butter and handling it, providing 

 I could dispose of it. So I wrote to a commission merchant in Chicago 



