OBSERVATIONS ON EASTERN FARMERS AND EASTERN FAIRS. 11 



enter and five per cent of the winnings. The city furnishes experienced 

 policemen for guards at $2.25 a day. 



As indicating the growth of the Society and the success of its fairs, 

 it may be stated that their total receipts this year from all sources 

 were $105,000, as against a total of $61,000 three years ago. They 

 charge $2 for exhibitors' tickets, and $2 and $1.50 for stalls for 

 horses and cattle, according to quality, and $1 for sheep or hog pens, 

 but no charge in any department for space. They do no campaigning 

 for exhibits, as voluntary applications take all their space. They issue 

 special admission tickets for merchants' clerks, which are bought in 

 large quantities by merchants, manufacturers, and other employers 

 for complimentary distribution among their employes. This custom 

 has become established in the State and it helps, the fair materially. 



Their grounds contain two tracks, a mile track and a half-mile track, 

 and their grand stand, 550 feet long, seats 6,000 people. Their horse 

 barns, cattle barns, sheep sheds, and swine sheds are so arranged as to 

 form a center court used for showing the stock before the judges. 

 Indeed, I think the plan of the Indiana sheep and swine barns is as 

 good as any I saw. 



The refrigerator in the center of the dairy building is a very neat 

 and convenient one, and I took notice that it was built by the McCrary 

 Refrigerator and Cold Storage Company of Kendallville, Indiana. 



OHIO. 



Ohio is interesting in that it is supposed to have the best State Fair 

 buildings, as a whole, of any State in the Union, and from what I saw 

 I think this claim is well founded. Mr. T. L. Calvert, the secretary, 

 was not home during my visit, but his very able assistant, Mr. J. W. 

 Fleming, extended every courtesy and gave me all the information 

 desired. 



They collect and publish agricultural statistics and crop reports, 

 supervise County Agricultural Societies, and conduct Farmers' Insti- 

 tutes. They have about 1,500 agricultural correspondents in their 

 statistical department and thirty odd Institute lecturers. The latter 

 are paid by the counties out of a fund appropriated by the Legislature 

 for that purpose. The State regularly appropriates $26,000 a year for 

 the support of the department, but the fairs must pay their own 

 expenses. This year they took in from all sources $61,000, as against 

 $58,000 last year, and from this revenue they have no trouble in 

 holding annually a very creditable exhibition. Their splendid build- 

 ings, of course, were built mainly out of funds provided by special 

 State appropriations. They have ten directors, who are chosen by the 

 presidents of the County Agricultural Societies at the latter 's regular 

 annual sessions. There is no district regulation as to the residence of 



