Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-10-19
arc You Ready for the FaIr,?


1t is the duty of every farmer and gar
dener to encourage his local fair first, and
then to attend as many others as may be
practicable. The local. usually the county,
than the large or state fair; there are not
generally so many articles TO be seen as TO
tire one before he has examined the half
of them. Besides, at the smaller fair the
strangers; he meets his neghbors, and
there is abundant time to talk over farm
experience, and their successes and fail
ures. OF course every one who goes to
fair should exhibit something, an6 many
have already decided what they will take
to the fair. Our object at the present
time is not so much to suggest what to ex-
hibit, but to give some hints how to do it.
The officials at small fairs rarely provide
properly for the display of small articles
In asking ''Are you ready for the fairs?''
it is our object to suggest a little timely
preparation in this respect. 1t is rarely
LldL DuE lihcS ~ IdhC ulsItS lDT Ills lTulL,
as the risk of breakage is too great. The
best substitute for a dish is a shallow
wooden tray lined with white paper Pro
cure few starch or soap boxes, and SINH
lar box of different sizes, with their
covers. These are to be sawed apart to
make shallow trays, with sides about three
inches high; nail them securely at the cor
mers and fasten on the bottoms firmly. A
box will make two, if not three, such
frames or trays, using the cover for the
bottom of one, and if three are made, parts
of other boxes may be used for the bottom.
Make as many of these as there are articles
TO be exhibited, and few extra ones will
not come amiss. Provide enough cheap
muslin TO cover the portion of the table
that you will occupy. The vegetables
should be dug the day before, selected and
washed, and placed where they will be
dry by morning Take to the fair suffi-
ntsupply of white wrapping paper, tacks
large and small, hammer, etc. Upon ar
irving at the ground, line the boxes neatly
with the paper and arrange the frat
and vegetables in them. DO not throw
them i'm, but arrange them, the stem ends
of the fruit all pointing in one direction,
and the vegetables neatly piled up, with
their tops all pointing the same way.
Prepare beforehand labels for each article,
plainly written upon cardboard, giving the
name of the variety and that of the exhib-
liter, and tack the label TO the box to pre-
vent its being blown away or misplaced.
Such collection, showing order, neatness,
and painstaking, will prove very attractive
and be a useful example TO Others II
there are bouquets TO be exhibited, use old
fruit cans filled with sand and covered
with paper; the sand may be moistened
and will answer much better than vessels
of water and be much less liable to acct
dent. These matters may seem trivial to
some, but the result will be gratifying.
If fair, as it usually does, lasts for two
or three days, it is great mistake to
crowd the going, the sightseeing, and the
returning all into one day. 1t makes a
day of fatigue, rather than one Of recrea-
ton. Instead of crowding all into one
day, the western or southern farmer often
.deyotes several days to it. We have Wis
tied many fairs in which portion of the
grounds is set apart for those who ''come