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Thursday, January 16, 1913.]
THE CAROLINA UNION FARMER
Page Nine
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Live Stock Classifications and Pieniiiini Money.
For the purpose of arriving at some definite
facts concerning the success of State Fairs, the
following figures have been made up showing the
relative amounts of money offered by the State
Fairs named in the following list which includes
one breed each of horses, cattle, sheep and swine.
Poland
Percheron Hereford Shropshire China
Horses Cattle Sheep Hoes
Iowa $769 $1,349 $178 $558
Virginia .... 260 615 176 250
North Carolina. . 160 150 87 91
A glance at this table will show why some fairs
are making a continued success and why others
fail to arouse interest, and it is not the intention
to state that the failure is at all times.the direct
fault of the management. The State Fair of
North Carolina, for example, is offering on all
classes of live stock $3,281, and on speed horses,
$3,500. This condition evidently should not exist.
Speed horses may be a part of the program, but
by all means the apportionment should be altered.
The figures given in the foregoing table for the
Iowa State Fair amount on only four breeds to
slightly less than the total amount offered on all
live stock at the North Carolina State Fair.. These
four breeds mentioned are taken from the fifty
odd breeds and classes on which money is offered
on live stock at this fair is about $33,000, while
in the speed department it amounts to about $11,-
400.
A County Comparison.
The County Fair of Mecklenburg is offering $2.-
100 on all classes of live stock which is two-thirds
of the total offered by the North Carolina State
Fair on all classes of live stock. Taking the aver
age amount of money offered $715 on each class
of live stock at the Iowa State Fair, it would re
quire in North Carolina $21,450 to give classes
for thirty different breeds and groups. The writ
er has based these figures on breeds which are
actually adapted to Southern conditions. If all
breeds were classed such as provision is made for
in the larger state fairs, it would require one-half
of this amount of money in addition to that re
quired by the thirty breeds. This may seem like
an undue sum of money to be offered in premiums
but it is necessary to properly and satisfactorily
classify live stock in competitive groups. A stan
dard classification for cattle, for example, should
have about eighteen classes and on each class
there should be at least three prizes offered. Al
lowing $15 for first, $10 for second, and $5 for
third prize, it would require $5 40 on each breed
of cattle. On this basis only six breeds of cattle
could be classed at the North Carolina State Fair
under the present arrangement. This would leave
as many breeds of cattle unclassed, saying nothing
whatever of horses, sheep, and swine.
Live Stock Building and Judging Arena,
fair should be educational an dto properly carrj
As stated in the beginning, the purpose of every
out this idea permanent and well arranged build
ings should be provided. The writer is speaking
primarily from the live stock point of view, and
will suggest a few points whereby this department
may be improved. In the first place a permanent
building should be erected in the center of which
the live stock may be judged. Raised seats should
be provided all around the interior of this Central
judging pavilion whereby spectators and visitors
may be comfortably seated and watch each class
of stock judged as it comes into the ring. By pro
viding the buildings for the various classes of live
stock adjacent to this central building it is very
convenient to have each class of stock taken into
the central judging ring through openings which
are provided on the four sides of the building. The
writer suggests that a wing be erected on each
of the four sides of the central judging arena.
This provision will accommodate horses, cattle,
sheep, and swine. In the larger shows and exhi
bitions the stock is not only classified by a pre
mium number, hut each animal is given a number
in the final catalogue. When an animal comes in
to the ring to be judged the exhibitor wears a large
placard, one hanging in front and the other back
of the shoulders, each bearing the catalogue num
ber of the animal. Any one in the audience can
readily determine from the catalogue just which
class is being judged, and after the awards are
made the placing of each animal and the owner
may readily be determined. Such an arrangement
as this provides for the educational feature of the
live stock exhibit in which many fairs now fall
short.
Further than this, all live stock should be
jrouped in the buildings according to breed or
type. By so doing the animals can be studied
either before or after the awards are made. If
they are scattered throughout the building this is
practically impossible. The English show author
ities even go further, requiring that the animals in
each class be stalled together. That is, all classes
in the Hereford breed, for example, would be
grouped together as follows:
Bull three years old or over.
Bull two years old and under three.
Bull one year old and under two.
Bull under one year, etc.
By arranging the animals in this way the spec
tator has practically the same advantage in pass
ing over the animals as the judge has in the ring.
Grade and Scrub Sires.
Another idea which should be carried out is the
elimination of all scrub and grade sides. There is
a place for grade females and grade unsexed
males, especially in general utility classes, such as
work horses, dairy cattle and beef cows, the lat
"er to be used for the production of feeding cattle,
beef steers, etc. One of the best plans for the
elimination of undesirable classes and for the
much needed improvement in the classification of
Staet and County Fairs would be the installation
of a uniform live stock classification by a State
and County Fair organization. By so doing many
of the undesirable features of judging would be
eliminated. The exhibitors and spectators would
understand the awards more thoroughly, and most
important of all, the best exhibits at the County
Fairs would be eligible for competition at the
State Fair which should really be a clearing house
for all live stock and agricultural exhibits. .
How May Our State Fair be Im
proved ?
C. L. Netvman, Professor Agriculture A. Si M. College.
It should ever be borne in mind that the first
object of a State Fair is education and that so
cial and amusement should be secondary and all
free from immoral and harmful features.
Comfortable quarters should be provided for
visitors from a distance and especially for women
and children. A dining-room and lunch stand sep
arate from exhibits and with conveniences for wo
men and children would be an improvement over
the present arrangement. Extension of street car
facilities for moving the crowd is necessary. This
could be secured through a circuit around the
grounds or by connecting with the Country Club
line. The present entrance is congested and more
gates should be provided. Entrances for vehicles
should be removed from entrances for those on
foot.
The proportion of premiums offered for farm
products, pure-bred animals, etc., is too low as
compared with premiums offered for horse racing.
Is it necessary to encourage horse racing and by
offering larger premiums than are offered in any
other class?
All exhibits should be classified .and exhibited
under a logical order of arrangement and not scat
tered, as has been the case in two or three build
ings. The scattering of the exhibits in a class not
only seriously interferes with the just award of
premiums, but detracts from the educational bene
fit of the exhibits.
The congestion of exhibits into too small a space
and with inadequate aisles for visitors has serious-
detraced from exhibits. This was particularly true
of the very creditable corn exhibit. The spaces be
tween the exhibit tables was so narrow that it was
awkward for two persons to pass and many went
away without seeing the best feature of the farm
crop exhibit and but few secured from it any edu
cational value.
All commercial exhibits should be segregated.
Definite buildings for the larger divisions of ex
hibits is an evident need. Each class of agricul
tural products should have permanent quarters,
and sub-classes definite spaces and all constructed
so as to exhibit its class to the best advantage.
Better and more commodious structures are need
ed for the live stock and each class should be se
gregated.
A large covered judging pavilion should be pro
vided. As the fair is now conducted, the educa
tional value of designating the winners of pre
miums is largely lost. The judging of live stock
should be a public feature and in the presence of
all who wish to attend.
The exhibition of more farm machinery and ma
chinery of a greater variety should be encouraged
and ampler buildings provided.
Gambling and games of chance should be pro
hibited. Why should fakirs be a part of an agri
cultural fair? The disposal of sewerage and sur
face water should be provided for. The closets
as they now are, are not only excessively disagree
able, but dangerous to public health. Conditions
found at the recent fair should be prohibited by
law.
Exhibits should be installed earlier than is the
custom. This will enable the visitors to know to
which exhibit the premiums g oand will develop
one of the main educational features of an agri
cultural fair.
A defect of our State Fair grounds is the ab
sence of a roof large enough to protect all attend
ants in inclement weather. A large combined au
ditorium and judging pavilion would to a great
extent correct this defect.
There is no order or plan in the arrangement
of the present buildings or grounds. The grounds
should be laid off by a competent landscape gar
dener and the buildings located with due atten
tion to permanency, to the beautification of the
grounds, to sanitation and to the segregation to
the various features and their arrangement so as
to afford easy access.
County Fairs throughout the State should be en
couraged and made feeders to the State Fair. A
county exhibit should be a county exhibit in more
than name. Individuals exhibit borrowed and
purchased and under the name of “County Ex
hibit” are given the premium. No county pre
mium should go to an individual but to a county
or organization. The county organization should
hold the fair before the State Fair is held, and
then exhibit at the State Fair the best the County
Fair had on exhibition.
The management of our State Fair should keep
constantly in mind that the fair is a permanent
thing.
Helen Keller in Speech and Song.
Helen Keller who since 1882, when she was
nineteen months old has been deaf, dumb, and
blind, sometime ago attended the Otological Con
gress at Harvard Medical School attended by
scientists from all over the world, and addressed
that body in three languages—-English, French,
and German. She also sang, many in the aud
ience being moved to tears. Think what this re
markable woman has accomplished in the face of
well nigh Insuperable difficulties! What boy or
girl who can- see, hear, and speak, should ever
be discouraged in the face of such an example of
shining triumph?
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