310 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



First, to arrange on a given piece of land, buildings, for the purpose 

 of protecting and showing to advantage various exhibits; second, to make 

 these buildings easily accessible from the various entrances and from 

 each other by means of roads and walks; third, to make an arrangement 

 of trees, bushes and flowers which shall enhance the beauty of the bulid- 

 ings and of the grounds themselves; fourth, to make the woods and hills 

 available as a camping place, as a place for pleasure driving, as a place 

 for exhibiting the beautiful natural scenery in the vicinity of Des Moines, 

 and, at the same time, to preserve our native forest growth so as to show 

 specimens of all of Iowa's native plants and keep forever an area of na- 

 tive woodland; fifth, to locate an electric railway, making a circuit of the 

 grounds for passenger traffic. 



In studying the above problems, we must take, as a basis, the land 

 which has been secured by the state for the fair grounds. The shape of 

 this land and its general topography are indicated on a plat which we 

 have sent you. The land is a little over a mile in length, east and west, 

 and considerably less than half a mile in width. At the west end the 

 land is comparatively level and becomes hilly and wooded toward the 

 east. There is a variation in level of about one hundred and sixty feet. 

 It is natural that the exhibition buildings should occupy the western por- 

 tion of the grounds because this part of the tract is nearest the city and 

 comparatively level. As certain permanent buildings for farm animals 

 have been erected, it can be taken for granted that live stock should be 

 shown on the level area just north of Dean avenue and opposite the Rock 

 Island switching tracks. In this area the buildings for horses will oc- 

 cupy the northwestern corner, the buildings for cattle, the northeastern 

 corner, swine the southeastern corner and sheep the south-western corner. 

 Permanent buildings have already been built or commenced for the first 

 three of these groups, so the only question remaining would be in regard 

 to the sheep. The space left for them may seem rather contracted, but, 

 perhaps, it will be possible to secure additional land. It seems to us ex- 

 tremely desirable that the rectangle, which notches into the southwest 

 corner, should be acquired. We refer to the tract lying between Logan 

 street and Dean avenue and east of the little stream that runs through 

 the fair grounds. 



The buildings for farm implements and machinery, occupying 200,000 

 square feet, is placed on the plan in what appears to us to be the most 

 convenient and available location. It is central and can be reached by 

 railroad track. There would be space on the different sides of this build- 

 ing for private buildings to be used for the exhibition of implements, ma- 

 chinery, etc. The space for outside exhibits and demonstration of imple- 

 ments and machinery, requiring about 600,000 square feet, is shown at the 

 west end of the grounds. This space is level and can be easily reached by 

 a railroad track branching from the Rock Island road. The cement in- 

 dustries building and private buildings connected with such industries 

 are placed just west of the machinery building. This space is easily 

 reached by people visiting the fair and is near the railroad line. The 

 horticulture and floriculture building, occupying 50,000 square feet, is in- 



