Sim 
Vol.  LXXV 
A  Successful  Community  Fair 
Bringing  It  Home  to  the  People 
INSTITUTES  AND  FAIRS. — Winter  institutes  are 
conducted  by  nearly  al!  State  experiment  sta¬ 
tions  and  have  proved  practical,  yet  we  find  few 
farmers  who  need  institute  work  most  in  attendance. 
The  audiences  are  composed  of  men  and  women  who 
read  agricultural  and  other  papers,  and  iu  all 
ways  make  the  most  of  their  opportunities.  This 
other  element,  however,  does  attend  the  Fall  fairs. 
THE  ATTRACTIONS  AT  FAIRS. — To  most  of  us 
the  fair  means  an  enclosure  full  of  tents,  booths 
loving  crowd.  The  stock  and  produce  department 
often  is  used  as  an  excuse  to  get  the  State  appro¬ 
priation  and  managed  in  a  way  to  attract  only  the 
most  enthusiastic  farmer.  As  an  amusement  feat¬ 
ure.  we  have  no  quarrel  with  fairs  or  fair  manage¬ 
ment.  It  is  business  to  provide  what  the  spending 
public  want.  They  are  ail  maintaining  an  expen¬ 
sive  equipment  with  one  week’s  action  and  are  en¬ 
titled  to  every  ruse  within  the  law  to  make  that 
week  profitable. 
UNWORTHY  OF  STATE  SUPPORT.— But  as  an 
economical  expenditure  of  State  money  for  educa¬ 
tional  purposes,  they  are  failures,  and  the  morality 
stock,  having  them  compared  with  others,  and  crit¬ 
icised  by  a  competent  judge,  has  no  way  of  getting 
bis  money  back,  and  the  price  is  too  high  for  the 
educational  value  available. 
A  HEAL  FARM  FAIR. — Believing  that  more  and 
better  stock  raising  is  the  secret  of  better  farming, 
and  that  a  stock  show  is  an  incentive  to  better  stock, 
the  farmers’  club  and  local  (I range  of  a  communi¬ 
ty  in  Pennsylvania,  organized  iu  1012  a  one-day  ex¬ 
hibit  of  stock,  produce,  industrial,  domestic  and  cul¬ 
inary  articles,  and  were  so  successful  with  it  that 
it  was  increased  to  two  days  and  continued  as  an 
annual  fixture.  A  grove  was  rented  easy  of  access, 
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Chautauqua  County  Farm  Bureau  Field  Meeting.  Fig.  411 
and  side  shows  with  their  barkers,  fakers  with  bal¬ 
loons,  woolly  dog,  patent  medicines,  etc.,  the  biggest 
pumpkin,  fattest  hog,  fastest  horse,  as  a  spectacle 
only,  to  see  which  wo  pay  money  at  a  gate.  One 
of  the  largest  western  fairs,  last  year  took  away 
their  gate  and  fence  too,  asked  everybody  iu  and 
made  a  big  profit  Needless  to  say,  it  was  not  the 
agricultural  department  that  paid  dividends  to  the 
stockholders.  The  great  public  wants  to  be  amused 
and  to  that  end  spends  its  money.  The  fair  man¬ 
agement  wants  that  money,  so  admits  fakers,  game¬ 
sters,  showmen,  etc.,  who  pay  handsomely  for  the 
privilege  of  enticing  said  spenders,  and  themselves 
stage  other  amusements  that  will  attract  a  pleasure- 
of  most  side  shows  is  hardly  worthy  of  State  sanc¬ 
tion.  A  glance  through  the  premium  lists  of  most 
large  fairs  with  their  entry  fees,  stall  rents,  ex¬ 
orbitant.  winner’s  championship  assessment,  etc.,  not 
counting  express  charges,  loss  of  time  in  spending  a 
whole  week  at  one  show,  loss  of  usefulness  of  ani¬ 
mal  while  in  show  condition,  etc.,  will  bar  any  but 
a  well-to-do  specialty  breeder  from  entering  and  ex¬ 
hibiting  stock.  To  the  man  who  has  arrived  as  a 
stock  breeder,  these  expenses  mean  little,  as  he 
charges  it  up  to  advertising  and  takes  his  profits  iu 
sales  to  other  already  successful  breeders,  rich  back- 
to-landers,  etc.  But  the  beginner  and  small  breed¬ 
er,  who  most  needs  the  help  of  showing  his  own 
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[Illy  11  At/ll  HR  |  H*  l  IMld  HIU 
tides.  The  cattle  were  quartered  under  the  trees 
in  one  section,  the  Berkshire  club,  the  only  local 
stock  breeders’  association,  built  pens  of  wire  for  the 
swine  department.  Chickens  were  cooped  under  a 
tent..  Horses,  more  than  100  head  of  stallions, 
marcs,  colts,  drafters,  roadsters,  saddlers,  were 
shown  on  a  ring  made  in  a  few  hours  with  a  harrow 
and  King  road  drag. 
JUDGING  AND  PREMIUMS.— The  management 
named  jointly  by  the  parent  organizations  gave  rib¬ 
bons  in  all  classes.  Local  business  firms,  including 
farmers,  donated  special  prizes  in  many.  Competent 
judges,  usually  men  capable  of  giving  an  instructive 
