14 OBSERVATIONS ON EASTERN FARMERS AND EASTERN FAIRS. 



the growing season to obtain, through correspondents, an estimate of 

 the relative condition of crops and therefrom foretell very accurately 

 the output of the State on any one product or on all products. The 

 system impressed me as simple, yet complete and effective. 



NEBRASKA. 



The Nebraska State Agricultural Society holds annual fairs, and 

 they are good ones. This year they took in from all sources $70,000, 

 out of which they cleared about $30,000. Their admission fee is 50 

 cents, and grand stand 25 cents. Until eight years ago the State 

 Fair was, figuratively speaking, on wheels, being held different years 

 at different cities. Under this arrangement it ran steadily behind. 

 Finally it was located permanently at Lincoln, the capital of the 

 State, a city with a present population of about 60,000, and since then 

 it has built up very rapidly. Its grounds are convenient and contain 

 some good buildings and its management is very efficient. There are 

 twenty-nine directors, who hold office for two years. They are selected 

 by representatives of County Agricultural Societies, and enterprise 

 and aptitude for the duties of the office are the qualifications that 

 generally command the most votes. The directors delegate a great deal 

 of their work to a board of managers, consisting of five members. These 

 five, along with the secretary, constitute the working body, and from 

 what I could learn during a short visit they are workers. 



Their race program includes four events a day three harness races 

 and one running race. The purses for runners are $100, and for 

 harness horses from $500 to $1,000. The entrance fee is three per 

 cent of the purse and five per cent of the winnings. The Labor 

 Bureau of the State collects industrial statistics, but they are published 

 annually in the Agricultural Society's report. They do no campaign- 

 ing for exhibits, and yet get all they can accommodate. This year 

 twenty-six counties made separate exhibits of their resources. Nebraska 

 makes no charge for space or for exhibitors' tickets, and imposes 110 

 entrance fee except for races. The State Horticultural Society holds 

 its annual exhibit on the State Fair grounds, the. same date as the 

 State Fair. Their grounds, in which all attractions are held, consist of 

 seventy-five acres, located one and a quarter miles from the center of the 

 city. They have paid expert judges in all departments. The Society 

 receives $25,000 a year from the State, at least $1,000 of which must 

 be paid in premiums. They have a large poultry house, but exhibitors 

 supply their own coops. Their other principal buildings are the 

 agricultural building, horticultural building, dairy building, bee 

 building, fish and game building, stock pavilion, besides horse, cattle, 

 sheep, and hog barns. Mr. W. R. Mellor is the able secretary of the 



