THE National nurseryman 
67 
GROWTH OF NEW YORK STATE FAIR 
Interesting Figures Dealing with Fruit Department 
State’s Annual Exposition Now Valuable in Promoting Great 
Interests. Review of Permanent Fair Movement 
The remarkable growth and development of the New York State 
Fair in recent years is told in the turning over by the State Fair 
Commission to the State Treasurer at the end of the year of approxi¬ 
mately $71,000, representing the surplus of 1910, and in a compari¬ 
son of the figures dealing with the expositions of 1907 and 1910. 
That New York’s annual exposition has come to be of great 
value in the promotion of the fruit growing and other great interests 
of the Empire State,__there is no longer any doubt. The efficiency of 
the management under the present State commission has been 
developed to a high degree. The producers have been encouraged, 
the exhibits have been more in keeping with the rich industries they 
represent and the interest of the general public has been drawn for¬ 
cibly to the things which make New York first state in the onion. 
In considering the unusual success scored by the State Fair of 
1910, when the record attendance for the week of 197,000 was 
reached, a brief review of the history of the greater fair movement is 
interesting. While the Fair showed increased life each succeeding 
year after the State took over the plant twelve years ago, it was not 
until the establishment of a business-like commission and the 
adoption by the Legislature of a permanent grounds plan that the 
success of the exposition became really great. 
In 1906, the Legislature appropriated $10,000 for a competition 
among architects for the best plan for the development, compre¬ 
hensively and harmoniously, of the Fair property, the desire being 
to replace the wooden structures, many of which had outgrown their 
usefulness, with permanent structures of steel, concrete and brick. 
About thirty-five architects competed and after careful considera¬ 
tion the plan submitted by Messrs. Green and Wicks of Buffalo, was 
accepted by the Commission and subsequently adopted by the 
Legislature. All work on buildings and grounds has since been 
along the lines of this general plan. The estimated cost of the 
permanent plant was fixed at about $2,000,000 and thus far the 
Legislature has appropriated between $600,000 and $700,000, the 
money being used for the Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building, 
a magnificent structure and regarded as one of the finest fair build¬ 
ings in the world, the Grange, Dairy and State Institutions build¬ 
ings, new stables, sewers and grading. 
The need of a new Horticultural Building has been recognized 
by the State Fair Commission, the fruit growers and the farmers, but 
the Commission has felt that in carrying out the permanent develop¬ 
ment plan it must proceed along the most economical lines and 
utilize the available appropriations to the best advantage possible. 
The Horticultural Building is in fair condition and could be main¬ 
tained for two or three years without very rnuch expense while other 
buildings have been in bad order making it necessary to replace them 
with new structures or spend large amounts of money in repairs and 
alterations. Unfortunately for the fair, while the Legislature of 
1910 appropriated about $250,000 for new structures. Governor 
Hughes, in meeting the other demands upon the State’s finances was 
forced to cut the items from the appropriation bills. 
It has been the aim of the present Commission to conduct its 
affairs along strictly business lines and to handle the management as 
economically as if the members were directors of a business corpora¬ 
tion and this is evidenced by the following figures; 
The present Commission was appointed in April, 1908, and the 
figures given are a comparison for the years 1907 and 1910. 
In 1907, the appropriations made by the Legislature for insur¬ 
ance, advertising, premiums, maintenance, and salaries, were 
$70,000. 
For 1910 for the same items, $105,000, the larger increases being 
in premiums $12,000 and maintenance $5,000. 
The receipts of the Fair were; 1907, $81,000; 1910, $148,000. 
an increase of about 80 per cent. 
The surplus returned to the State Treasurer was; 1907, 
$20,000, 25 per cent of the receipts; 1910, $71,000, 48 per cent 
of the receipts; an increase over 1907 of 250 per cent. 
The_^net cost to the State was; 1907, $50,000; 1910, $34,000; 
a decrease of 32 per cent. 
The admissions v/ere; 1907, 142,000; 1910, 196,000; an 
increase of 38 per cent. 
The various departments of the Fair are placed under the direct 
control of the several Commissioners and the value of this method of 
management has been clearly demonstrated. It allows the Com¬ 
missioner an opportunity for studying closely a branch of the fair 
system, for keeping in touch with the interests represented by the 
department, for considering the needs in the way of classes and 
premiums as demanded by the producers and the general public and 
the Fair profits by the experiences of preceding years. 
The Fruits, Flowers and Farm Produce departments have been 
in charge of Commissioner William Pitkin of Rochester during the 
years, 1908, 1909, and 1910, and the successes scored tell of Com¬ 
missioner Pitkin’s interest and the energy devoted to the depart¬ 
ments. 
No direct changes were made in these departments during the 
first year, 1908, as it was thought wise to investigate carefully and to 
observe the conditions, the sentiment among exhibitors and the 
general interest shown in the fair and the exhibits. The changes 
since made have been carefully thought out and results show that 
they have met with the approval of the exhibitors and the patrons 
of the Fair. Further improvements and benefits will accrue from 
changes already made and additional advancement may be hoped 
for through other changes now under consideration. 
The following comparative statement shows the number of 
exhibitors and exhibits of; (i) the county and grange societies; 
(2) the leading commercial varieties of fruit; (3) commercial 
packages; (4) nursery stock, in the years 1907 and 1910 and the 
percentage of increase. 
1907 
1910 Per Inc. 
Number of exhibi tors . 
25 
142 
468 
Premiums offered. 
$2,665 
$ 3,599 
35 
Premiums paid. 
2,033 
3.360 
65 
County and Grange exhibits. 
3 
8 
166 
Collections of fruit . 
8 
44 
450 
Baldwin apples, single plates. 
4 
67 
1575 
McIntosh apples, single plates. 
2 
29 
1350 
King apples, single plates. 
2 
56 
2700 
Rhode Island Greening apples, single plates 
4 
77 
1825 
Northern Spy apples, single plates. 
5 
47 
840 
Fifteen leading commercial apples. 
Twenty-eight leading commercial varieties of 
59 
533 
804 
apples, pears, plums and grapes. 
117 
761 
650 
Apples packed in boxes. 
0 
32 
Nursery stock. 
Collections of fruits exhibited by boys and 
0 
12 
girls . 
0 
24 
The premium list for many years contained prizes for a long list 
of varieties not generally grown and distributed but grown 
prin- 
cipally by one or two people. Many of 
these 
varieties 
were 
