The Oskaloosa herald., 1893-01-19
RIGHT IN 1T!
There VIII be the Usual IOTd
State Fair.
Major MclIuIIen Reelected Pres
ideRt by defamation.

1 elected Major James w. McMulleT
president, John r. Shaffer, secretar
and Capt. Prouty and Dan SheehaI
directors.
The address of the president was brie
and covered several points. He devote
considerable time to a discussion to tn
advisaDility of holding the fair, but wa
in favor of reducing the expenses some
what. In this connection he wished t,
suggest that instead of awarding dipIo
mas, some kind of Columbian souveni
be given to the exhibitors.
BY vote of "A to IA State Fair wa
ordered held in 1893.
Secretary John R. Shaffer read hi
annual report, which treated of the en-
tire field of agricultural industry in th'
state during the past year. In opening
he spoke in general way of the pros
perity of the state, saying:
Iowa is thankful for its abundant
prosperity. 1t utilized the contribu
tion to its wealth, not only from the ad
yancement of 1891; but to all the pre-
ceeding years. The steady growth OF
its natural and moral resources kept
regularly on, growing more and more
in 1892. The state and its people were
never more cOntented and never more
greatly blessed than now. There were
losses in some of the cereat crops, in
fruits and in the herds of swine. These
were compensated in the gains in other
cereals, the grasses and all other div
isions of live stock. There has been a
substantial gain in all things that make
for the highest good and the largest de-
Sirable success. This recognized con-
dition of progress and prosperity has
arrested those who thought to find a
better country in distant states and ter
ritOries recently opened to settlement,
and turned immigrants not only from
foreign lands, but from sister states at
the east, who found here richer lands
and larger opportunity. 1t has built
new towns right in the white heat of a
political campaign, converting a har-
vest field into thriving and busy vii
lage, enhancing the value of lands max
ing reader markets, and opening new
channels of trade. 1t deposited in the
savings bank for the year ending June
30, 1892, 1926, LIE, ,384.35, an increase of
81, ,263, ,8S0.35 over the same date last
year. The state banks showed deposits
of $16, 1861 ,011.54, an increase of So, 400
7O9.4O over last year; or total increase
of 1864, ,6S9.22 in year. Add S5O,OOO,-
600 for deposits in private banks places
of deposit, building and loan associa-
tiOns, ETC., numbering over 500, and the
deposits in the year exceed S125,OOO,OOO.
This prosperity is made the more strik
ing and significant when it is estimated
and believed that more than 10 per cent
of the deposits belong to farmers and
laboring men.
The report then proceeds to review
the different branches of agriculture
and their progress during tn year:
The total number of cattle in Iowa is
given at 4,0l1, ,233, with an estimat ed
value of $75,271,SS6.
The report speaks at length of dairy
in Iowa for the past year, but in the
main it follows the lines of the report
of Dairy Commissioner A. c. Tupper, a
synopsis of which has already been pub
lished in this paper.
The latest figures on horses show the
presence of 1,314, 800 in Iowa, which is
a small increase over the number the
year before. Inferior and common
grades are low in price, but the best
bring fair return. Mr.Shaffer discusses
at length the displacement of horses by
the use of means of rapid transit in cit
les, which not only retire the animals
from the street car lines, but reduce the
number kept in cities by private parties
and livery stables. This reduces the
prices of all but the very best horses,
while it reduces the consumption of hay
and oats.
Iowa still leads the states of the union
in the number of swine, which is now
I, ,105,320 Illinois follows with 4,846.8l5
and Missouri with 4,632, 1863. The report
argues for additional packing houses in
Iowa, equipped in as good shape as the
Chicago or Kansas City houses. The
report shows the presence of 367, ,853
sheep in this state. The government
report shows large number.
Recent developments tend to convince
the secretary that fall wheat may yet
become an important part of Iowa's
cereal production, not confined to the
south and southwestern part of the
state, but extended to the north line.
The wheat report is extensive and
brings out the fact that the wheat yield
of the state is steadily decreasing while
other states are furnishing -four. In
1880, 3,049,2S8 acres of wheat in Iowa
produced 81, ,154, ,205 bushels, while ten
years later 585, ,545 acres produced $685.
1856 bushels. The decrease is we'll illus
trated by the record of Polk county.
Year. Acreage. Bushels.
1880. 0.................2S .2S, ,288. $50, 729
1870. 10,O25. 150O01