xxxviii BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



its hands, and the report of the Bureau will state what use 

 it has made of the money. 



Your secretary feels that the Board, through its Dairy 

 Bureau, has widened its influence to a marked degree, and 

 particularly so in the system adopted for the distribution of 

 this appropriation. We need more constructive work in 

 dairying at the present time, and certainly no work done 

 along dairy lines has resulted in so much favorable com- 

 ment as has this. 



Fairs. 



A good many of the fairs had bad weather for at least 

 part of the time, and some were unfortunate enough to have 

 bad weather over their entire dates. This, of course, cut 

 down receipts in many cases and made it difficult for the 

 societies to meet their obligations. There has been a tend- 

 ency for some of the fairs to go along the lines followed for 

 years in the offering of premiums and in the general con- 

 duct of the show, and it would seem that the time has come 

 for some material changes to be made if we are to meet 

 successfully the demands of our times. It would seem that. 

 first, our fairs should be more predominantly agricultural ; 

 the tendency of some fairs toward the industrial and sport- 

 ing side seems to indicate a belief that the community does 

 not wish to have agricultural fairs. Then, also, there is a 

 tendency to make too much of the so-called fakirs' row and 

 attractions of like nature, which, although allowed on the 

 grounds by the State police, do nothing to serve the cause 

 of agTiculture except by bringing a small revenue to the 

 association. This small revenue might be made a large one 

 if the fairs would adopt some better form of attraction, 

 which might take the form of a moving-picture show in some 

 sections, while in others, pageants, depicting the history of 

 the town or section, might be advisable. 



The question of premiums also is a most important one, 

 and many are inclined to think that we have arrived at the 

 time when it would be best to offer large prizes for the best 

 crops gro\vn in a given section, or the best conducted farm, 

 making it a condition that a liberal amount of the crop or 



