VOL. XXX.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SEPT. 28, 1895.
NO. 39.
A GREAT STATE FAIR.
ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL
EVER HELD HERE.
Grand  Displays.        Great  Crowds  of
People.       The  Members  of the
Board to be Congratulated
for Their Successful
Management.
One   or   two   Objectionable  Features
Only.
One of the very best fairs ever held in
the State closed last Saturday. The
weather, but for the unusual heat, was
all that could have been desired. The
displays were large in all but two departments, and in all were remarkably flne,
and the people came by tens of thousands, especially on Thursday, which
has come to be
THK   BIG  DAY
no matter what or how many attractions
are offered on other days. The board
made special effort to increase attendance on Wednesday and Friday, but the
people concluded they could hear and
see enough on Thursday, and only moderate crowds attended on the other days.
The street cars were run in trains of two
and three open cars each, and all were
crowded to their utmost limit, many having to stand ou the foot board. Even
ladies were often obliged to ride in
this manner, or wait indefinitely for
cars less crowded. On Wednesday
Thursday and Friday half-hourly trains
were run on the Monon road, but even
this service did not seem to relieve the
pressure very materially. But this feature of State fair attendance is vastly improved over that of only a few- years ago,
when the poor, worn out-mule was the
only motor to trasfer the people from
depot to fair grounds. As we look back
upon those slow times it seems a marvel
that the people endured so much discomfort and delay, with so littleof complaint.
Another year we hope that arrangements
will be made both with the Monon and
Lake Erie and Western rail roads to run
at least hourly trains on the three best
days.   The board would do
A VERY  POPULAR THING
and no doubt a paying one to charter
trains those days, for the benefit of its
patrons. We believe that the fear of
being crowded and of missing home-
bound trains at Union Station, keep many,
especially of the women and children,
away from the State fair. Although the
electric cars run rapidly, the distance to
the grounds is so great and the number
of stops so many that much time, often
an hour, is taken in making the trip;
while a train on either of the rail roads
would make it in 15 to 20 minutes. When
an hour is taken off from both ends of
the day, it cuts the time for visiting the
fair very short, especially for the large
number who arrive at the city on the 9 to
11 trains, and must leave on those of 4 to
5 o'clock. The board should arrange with
all roads to run special trains, if possible,
to arrive here as early as 9 o'clock, and
leave not earlier than 6 in the evening.
If this can be done we think it will increase the attendance at least 25 per cent.
Another suggestion worthy of consideration is that of providing for lodging at
reasonable rates near the grounds. A
number of near, but
INEXPENSIVE  LODGING  HOP.SKs
located within a quarter mile of the
gates, where clean cots or beds could be
furnished at 30 or 40 cents, would induce
thousands of visitors to remain,and spend
two days, instead of one, at the fair. The
only resource at present is to go down to
the city and pay 75 cents to $1 a cot in the
hall or parlor of some hotel, with the probable chance of sleeping in a room with a
number of strangers.    Good meals are
furnished on the grounds at very reasonable rates. Let satisfactory arrangements be made for lodging, and the fair
will be much better patronized tban now*,
and much more useful to the people.
This idea, by the way, should never be
lost sight of by the members of the board.
They are managing this great institution
not for making money for themselves
nor the State, but "for the encouragement of our agricultural, mechanical and
manufacturing interests," and the prime
effort should be twofold, namely to secure the best possible displays in these
lines and then to bring the greatest possible number of the classes of people
most interested, to see and learn and
profit by them. ,
THK BO.iRD HAS SUCCEEDED  ADMIRABLY
in the first particular, but scarcely so
well as might be hoped for in the second.
It is a fact we have often noted and remarked upon heretofore that the number
of young farmers, and especially of the
wives and children of farmers, attending
the State fairs is very small in comparison with what it should be. The board
should offer special inducements in the
way of reduced rates for families and
thus try and bring out the young people.
The benefit of the exhibits would be
much greater to them, in many cases,
than to the parents. And we are moyed
to say a word in behalf of the patient,
hard working, home-keeping wife. She
deserves the privilege of a visit to the
State fair even more than her husband
and would enjoy it fully as much. Yet
how seldom is she seen there! We move
that she be admitted to the State fair free.
Who will second the motion? It would
not cost the board a cent, for every man
who goes alone now, would certainly go
if his wife were with him; indeed many
more would go for the very reason that
the board thus compliments her.
ANOTHER SUGGESTION
must be made here. The board should be
extremely careful regarding the character of the side-shows and other attractions they admit to the grounds. Noth-
ing should be.permitted there that would
have a demoralizing tendency; nothing
that members of the board would hesitate
to take their wives and children to witness. At the present fair there were exhibitions allowed, which were from outside appearances suspicious and from
the reports of some who visited them,
were wholly vile and a disgrace to the
great fair of our beloved State. It is possible that the members of the board who
were responsible for admitting them
were not aware of their true character.
Whatever may be the explanation there
can be no excuse for permitting anything
of the kind in the future and it must not
be done. Another year the people will
ask to be informed before taking their
families to the great show, what kind of
side show attractions are going to bo admitted. In case such as we have referred
to are among the number we shall advise
our readers to remain at home.
NOTES.
Jesse L. Stevens, Wayne county, after
receiving many premiums on his fruit
exhibit, presented it to the ladies of the
Central Christian Church, who served
lunch at the fair.
From the large number of displays of
buggies, carriages, etc., one would think
there were no bicycles in the oountry,
and that everybody was going buggy
riding. There will certainly be a good
demand for driving horses .when all these
vehicles are sold.
No previous State fair could compare
with this one in the display of fruit. It
was magnificent.' If Indiana could.have
done half as w-ell in '93 at the World's
Fair, she would have won fame throughout the world for her apples and pears_
The wide tables were covered completely
with the finest and most perfect sepeci-
mens of these fruits ever grown within
our borders. Grapes also were in good
display. Monroe county took the first
prize of $,50 offered by the State Agricultural Society, while Marion county took
the first prize, $40, offered by the State
Horticultural Society for best exhibits.
There were a good many stylish carriages from the city on the fine drives in
the grounds on the busy days. It was
sad to see that most of the horses driven
to them were tortured with the tight
over-check rein. This barbarity ought to
be punished by law.
In hogs the display was not much larger
than in some former years, but the quality of the stock was never excelled here.
The same may be said of the horse and
the heavy breeds of cattle. The Jerseys
and Holsteins were in greater numbers
than usual. The dairy interest in the
State is evidently on the advance.
The poultry show, as Superintendent
Stevens assured our readers some time
ago would be the case, was ahead of any
of its predecessors. The new coops and
numerous other improvements and conveniences, together with a good list of
premiums, brought out a large and fine
display. All classes were kept in separate divisions, which was a great convenience to spectators.
Among the machines that attracted
most interest were the corn shredders,
Keystone and Common Sense. Crowds
stood around these new inventions,
watching with great interest their working and output. The shredded fodder
w*as put in bale form, and looked as
though cattle might be willing to eat it
all down if well seasoned and moistened.
Has any reader tried it?
It is often remarked that Thursday is
the biggest day at our State fair. The
reason for this fact we think is that people usually spend but one day at the fair,
and they take Thursday, if it is pleasant,
to make sure of going. If it rains on that
day, they still have another chance,
whereas if they select Friday and it happens to rain on that day they lose the fair
entirely.
The State Board has a large tract of unused ground north of the race track.
Why not fence off twenty acres and erect
cheap cottages there to rent to families
during fair week? Such cottages or
shelters need not cost more than $25 each,
and even at quite a low rent would repay
the investment in a few years, besides
bringing the families of farmers to the
fair, and thus increasing the attendance
and receipts.
Mr. Holton in charge of the implement
and machinery display, took great pleasure in directing visitors through his department. He boasted that this was the
best exhibition of the kind ever made at
a State fair anywhere, and in traction engines, threshers, etc., it excelled that
made at the World's Fair. The statement that 254 manufacturing concerns
were represented there seems incredible,
but Mr. II. assured us that it was correct.
Large numbers of the FARM Kit's friends
paid us the honor of a call, and, as we
had a cool, breezy place, many sat down,
cooled off and rested, and chatted with us
and each other. We began to make a list
of their names, but soon found it was impossible to keep up with them. All the
treat we had to give them was some
orange watermelons, grown by Thos. T.
Newby, of Hush county, and they came
too late for most of our friends. All who
tried them pronounced them the best, or
among the best, they had ever tasted. We
showed some of Mr. Newby's apples, and
a few of our own fruits and vegetables.
Many of the visitors on Thursday upon
making each other's acquaintance, began
giving experiences, and the meeting became for a time much like a farmers' institute; but we had no time to take notes.
It was a very pleasant occasion.
Early Fall Plowing.
Editors Indiana Farmek:
It It important to plow as early as possible, and sow to rye or oats for fall and
winter pasture. Millions of dollars could
be saved to farmers if they would make it
a rule to plow the stubble ground as soon
as possible after the grain is harvested,
and sow to either rye or oats. If not-
wanted for pasture, and if oats are sown,
the ground can be plowed early in the
spring and a heavy coat of the very best
fertilizing material will be had; or if
sowed to rye, it can be pastured in the
winter and spring, and then plowed under, or left to produce a crop of grain.
Such a fertilizer will be free from weed
seed, and other obnoxious ingredients
found in ordinary manure. The plowing
in the fall should be deep, and if plowed
again in the spring, six inches will be
deep enough. It is remarkable that
farmers will leave the stubble
ground, from which a crop of small grain
has been taken, to grow up with weeds,
allowing them to cover the ground and to
ripen their seed, so furnishing a supply
of seed to infest the ground for years to
come, when, by a judicious course a valuable crop of fertilizing material, or of
grain, could as well be- grown. When
will farmers take advantage of the many
things which can be readily turned to
profit, in place of having an actual damage and loss?
It is important that the plowing be
deep, in many places one foot is not too
deep. Where practicable, the subsoil
plow should be used to loosen up the soil
below the surface plowing. What is all
this for? It is to enable the soil to absorb the rains as soon as they fall, so that
all moisture will be taken down into the
earth before it is carried away hy evaporation. If the moisture is carefully
stored in the earth, there will be a bountiful supply for the use of the crop during the entire period of crop growth, and
a bountiful harvest will always reward
tbe intelligent, faithful, and push-ahead
man.
The time has come when it will pay to
use brains on the farm. It has only been
a few years since there was no thought
among farmers about subsoil plowing,
but now in the last few years no less than
five manufacturing establishments are
putting out subsoil plows. This shows a
wonderful change.
It is such an important matter that
fields laying open to the damaging inllu-
ences of the heat of the sun after harvest,
should be plowed and put into some crop,
either temporary or permanent, that is,
either for pasture fertilizing or a permanent crop, that the writer feels like urging this work on farmers. It has been
published in many of the papers for the
last eight or 10 years, yet not a farmer
has been heard from who has put into
practice these suergestions. Why is this,
and can any one give a good objection to
it? Can it be that the advice given is not
good—that it would not be a great benefit
to farmers to do this work? Suppose
every farmer who reads these lines shall
try the experiment by plowing, even now,
a few acres, and sowing either to rye or
oats. See what can be accomplished in
this line and let us hear from you whether it pays to do this work; if it is a
humbug, let us know it, but if it is of any
great advantage, let us know that,
I.et us all awaken to a greater interest
in improved methods throughout the entire scope of farm work. A little improvement each year will result in increased yield of crops, improved quality,
greater profit arid greater suecess generally. E. S. Tea,;ahi,en.
Boone, Iowa.
Ohio has the greatest number of farms,
361,430, having 24,352,408 acres; Illinois is
second, 240,ti81 farms and 30,498,277 acres;
Missouri being third, with 288,043 farms
and 30,780,290 acres.