ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART V 213 



about 2,000 hogs. The National Show of the Berkshire Congress was held 

 in connection with the Iowa Berkshire Show and this stimulated quite 

 and interest in the show of that breed of hogs. 



The sheep show was stronger than ever, and owing to the shortage 

 of hogs the management had the opportunity of utilizing the pens in 

 the east section of the hog barn for sheep, which was much more satis- 

 factory to the exhibitors than the old pens they had been using in 

 former years. 



Ninety-nine poultry exhibitors showed 1,620 birds, which is the largest 

 show of poultry made at the Iowa State Fair for a number of years. Be- 

 fore there can be much increase in the poultry show it will be necessary 

 to increase the cooping capacity. The poultry division of the Iowa State 

 College at Ames, made a wonderfully interesting and educating exhibit in 

 the poultry building. It was one of the valuable features of the fair 

 and was highly appreciated by those interested in poutlry raising. 



One of the features of the agricultural exhibit was the substitution 

 of the individual farm exhibit class for the old county exhibit, which 

 was too much of a commercial exhibit to be of any benefit. It was 

 thought that individual exhibits from various farms from over the state 

 would be of vastly more importance, as an educational factor in demon- 

 strating the productiveness of the rich Iowa soils, and the possibilities 

 to individuals, by practicing a more systematic and intensive method 

 of farming. All exhibits were to be the products of individual farms. 

 Awards were based on the following score of points: 



Quality of Products 50 



Variety — 



Field 30 



Garden 5 



Orchard 5 40 



Arrangement 10 



Total 100 



By this scoring process it will be noticed that the greatest stress is 

 placed upon the 'Quality of Products' and second that in the 'Varieties' 

 the greatest importance is given to the field products in about the same 

 relative proportion that field products represent the total products of the 

 farm. No effort was made to secure a large number of exhibits for the 

 first year, it being an innovation and we thought best, to give it a thorough 

 try out before seeking to procure any great number of exhibitors. How- 

 ever, in my judgment, this is one of the best and most useful classes in 

 our prize list, and one that will rapidly grow in the number of exhibits 

 each succeeding year. There were 23 exhibitors in the different divisions 

 the past year, with no effort on our part to secure them. It seemed to 

 meet with the approval of the farmer, the educator, and the newspaper 

 man. 



Farm implements, farm machinery, farm tools, vehicles of every 

 description, — acres of them — is about the only comment necessary in 

 describing the exhibit in the machinery and implement department at 



