BUEEAU OF AgEICULTXJEE, 101 



THE KENTUCKY STATE FAIR 



The Kentucky State Fair has continued to grow and 

 has become a part of the work of the Department of Agri- 

 culture that requires more and more attention of the 

 Commissioner, as ex-officio Chairman of the State Board 

 of Agriculture and President of the Fair. The fact that 

 it is located at Louisville and its business affairs trans- 

 acted as separate from the financial affairs of the Depart- 

 ment proper makes it necessary for the Commissioner to 

 spend much of his time at Louisville to properly super- 

 vise the operation of the fair. When the fair was lo- 

 cated in Louisville in 1908, the writer, then Secretary, 

 planned not only for a show one week during the year, 

 but to make the State Fair a great educational institu- 

 tion with permanent features connected therewith. To 

 this end with the limited funds at the command of the 

 State Board of Agriculture, 150 acres of ground were 

 purchased, and an option secured on an additional tract 

 of 45 acres. The appropriation of $16,000.00 by the Gen- 

 eral Assembly of 1912 enabled the State Board of Agri- 

 culture to exercise its option on a tract of 45 acres. 

 During my term of office as Commissioner of Agricul- 

 ture, this has been divided into two tracts; one of 20 

 acres has been deeded to the Federal Government for 

 the purpose of establishing and maintaining a Fish 

 Hatchery, and will revert to the State Board of Agricul- 

 ture in case the Fish Hatchery is removed therefrom;. 

 The other tract of 25 acres is now under agreement with 

 the State Forestry Commission, of which the Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture is an ex-officio member, to be 

 operated by the Forestry Commission as a forestry 

 nursery, and on which is to be placed an urboretum that 

 will ultimately be of great value to the State. Fifteen 

 acres of the original tract has been set aside for a game 

 preserve, and, in co-operation with the Fish & Game 

 Commission of Kentucky, a most interesting permanent 

 exhibit of animals and birds is gradually being collected. 

 Properly supervised for a few years the Fish Hatchery, 

 the State Arboretum, and the game exhibit will be at- 



