The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-06-19
STOCK Ar h FAIR.

This ''FOrmor EXh1DlGOr complains
of what has become a system and
the North Carolina Agricultural So
ciety has simply followed the current
in adopting it. The officers would
receive criticism far more out
spoken and sharper than this com
plainant utters if they adhered to a
course which would please him.
We have seen the system grow
and deplore it. Nothing short of a
revolution in the present system can
prevent it, but this revolution ought
to come and the sooner and more
complete the better it will be for all
concerned.
Readers of The Progressive Farmer
will remember one or two cOmmuni-
cations published in these columns
relative to this subject. We believe
in these shows in fair, open, honor
able competition and in having the
stock Judged on it's merits, giving to
the winner all due merit. To the
man who can breed and develop
prize stock great credit is due but in
these show contests the why's and
wherefores, the "know how to pro-
duce it" is last to sight and sound
and the present p~ossessor gets the
n the crowd sees the animals
and the real object for which the
State expends money to keep up the
shows is partly or wholly lost. 1t is
not frequent that the winners have
bred or have fed the animals to the
true development which wins. They
often have simply paid what was re
uuired to secure the animal, and
have fed fat on it, sometimes cover
ing glaring defects, or so reducing
the vital functions by unphysiologic
feeding that the animals are useless
to reproduce their kind.
The demands on the officers of the
State Fair are first for money. Every
one must be paid employees, TX
hibitor, advertisers. There must be
a "crowd-drawing show" and in this
respect our public pulse is in a some
what feverish condition. What
costs the managers and draws the
crowd brings the money in gate e
ceipts to pay the bills.
We have no doubt butt that the
sympathy of every secretary and
director is with the State exhibitors.
The State society would not be true
to the objects for which it was or
ganized if this were not 50. The
object was to draw out what is being
done and produced, to make object
lessons, stimulate the spirit which
vies to do something better than has
been done, to improve On all pre-
viOus records if possible.
This is educational and progress
i've. It enables those in search Of
better seed, stock, methods, etc,
than they have in use to see what
others have, make comparison, and
discard the least valuable. But the
winner in stock exhibits open to the
world has to meet whatever compe-
tition the prize attracts. 1t may
be a large purse which brings the
professional Snowman, or a prospect
for a brisk future trade which calls
a breeder of merit to the fair. If
Former Exhibitor" does not care
to meet this class of competition he
has two alternatives, to stay away
as he presumably has been doing of
late, or of securing from the State
Fair managers a separate class for
State stock.
This last proposition has both
reason and merit in it. If there is
no hope for the States breeders out
side of a few farms conducted by
wealthy citizens, and there is still
hope of interesting a larger class of
by whose coming a still
class of interested friends will
come to see the competition and
it's effects, the fair managers
will be willing to make duplicate
lists. State breeders can have classes
oy themselves and if they feel strong
enough enter the classes open to the
or go into sweepstakes
We will not discuss the venality of
Judges, nor the details of any local
stock bosses, leaving those to OBJ
iviOn, or interested people.
But when State exhibitors can