The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-10-03
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The 0fhcial Paper Of San Juan County
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3rd, 1925.
THE FAIR AND FITS LESSON.

The Northwestern Fair at Nhatconi
last week was one Of the finest eHhioI-
tons of the kind ever given in western
Washington. Never before has there
been such a grouping together OF spleh-
did specimens of the varied products {"
Whatcom. Skagit and San Juan c"u"-
ties It was a great object lesson III Il
most every branch of industry i'll the
state. "The heavens above, the ear'h
beneath and the waters underneath
were represented in the most attractive
manner The birds Of the air were there
in their bright plumage, lifelIke though
lifeless: there were coal and coke, line
stone and lime and sandstone III abuhd
ance: precious minerals from our noun
tains: the finest timber in the world
from our forests; fruits and vegetables
dairy products, grains and grasses u'-
surpassed in any land; trout from oui
lakes and rivers, ana such variety OF
other food fishes from the teemiEr
waters of the Sound as has never beior,
been seen on exhibition in the state.
And to all these things must be added
the fine art and floral exhibits; the
lovely display of woman's work; The
nucleus in the flax exhibit, of whal
promises to become i'll course OF tlnr
one of the great industries of the state
the merchants displays, and the variet}
of manufactured products exhibited
from the mills. Altogether the exhibit
ton was grand one, a splendid adver
tisement from the counties represented
and great credit to the city of What
com and especially to the enterprisin&
men with whom the idea Of the exhibi-
ton originated and to whom the great
est praise for its success is due.
San Juan county might have been
and should have been much better rep
resented. 1t is not easy to find excuse
for the failure of so many Of our. leading
citizens to make the most OF one of the
best opportunities which has ever been
afforded to advertise the countys great
resources and varied advantages. Our
orchardists might have taken the best
premiums in the fruit department, and
it would have paid them we'll to do it.
1t is in this line particularly that we
claim to excel and if we would make
fruit raising a financial success we III Isl
take advantage of every good opportun-
ity presented to give indisputable evil
dence in support of this claim. We may
say we can produce the finest apples,
the finest prunes, the finest pears, the
finest cherries etc, but if we do not
make our boasts good by showing the
fruit we cannot reasonably expect to he
believed. 1t is the same way in other
branches of industry in which we claim
to excel and do excel. Our farmers
might have made a far better live stock
display than there was there and our
.cannerymen and fishermen, might have
taken the premiums in the fisheries de-
partment which went to middle men.
To keep our products away from such
exhibitions is like hiding our light I'M
der "A bushel 1t is no longera question:
of production with Us, but of a market.
A man may raise fine fruit vegetables,
grain and live stock and yet make no
money if he stands aloof from the buy
er. The farmer who obtains fair
profit upon the products of his lands
and his labor must not only raise
good article but he must convince the
buyer of ITS excellence, prepare it
properly for shipment and give honest
measures. Farming is IL business to
which business methods must be APP
piled if success is achieved. We have
room for many more people in San
Juan county, and we need them.
Thousands of acres of rich lands are
still untitled. This is condition and
not theory, and it is condition that
is i'm large degree the result of lack OF
systematic and we'll directed advertis-
ing of the county's rich and varied re-
sources, exceptional climatic advanta-
ges and great scenic beauties.