The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-12
Cattle at Fairs.

Springfield Republican.
September with its round of cattle shows,
is at hand, and soon the season will be at
its height 1t is fitting, therefore that pros
pective exhibitors have their attention
called TO several little matters which would
be of advantage to them, and also TO the
fairs and their patrons. This is what Sec
rotary Coburn, of the Kansas State Board
of Agriculture, does. Stockmen he says,
come TO inspect the cattle, study the win
ners, learn wherein the superior qualities
lie, and why they are rated best. The
prize-Winning animals are, perhaps,
stripped and in the ring for half an hour,
and those visitors who are so fortunate and
so alert as to be present at the particular
time have opportunity to see them, along
with the competing animals, and perhaps
learn something of what whose and where
they are The cattle are then taken to their
stalls covered up with blankets, and thou
sands of seekers after information who
pass them day by day have no means of
knowing what any particular animal is, it's
age, its breed, Its weight, Its prizes its
owner and in many instances cannot even
guess its breed. 1t has always been to me
one of the incomprehensible mysteries why
a breeder would go to so much pains and
expense to exhibit stock, from which he
presumably wishes to build up trade and
then 50 wretchedly fail to supply an eager
public with the information they so much
crave to which in my judgment they, as
patrons of the show, are justly entitled,
and which their very presence has paid for.
If exhibitors took proper pains to see that
the more important information was from
the first hung on the stan of each animal
and then added to this, day by day, facts
as to any premiums awarded. the informa-
ton would be worth to spectators hum
dred times what they acquire when such
matters are managed as now.
The management of all such exhibitions
should make ii one of their invariable rules
that every animal entered should have at
tached TO it's stall the legitimate general in
formation pertaining TO II that the public
have a perfect right to demand To take
an animal 10 such a place put it in dark
stall, cover it up with two or three blank
cts with no particular means of identifica-
ton and then invite business public to
make long journeys at more or less ex-
pense to see, admire, and, perhaps. buy it.
at a busy season of the year, surely borders
on the farcical. / hope for a time when |
can attend these eXpositiOns and learn
something about any animal present, with
ont having 10 spend a half day hunting for
the busy owner or CLEAN it in dribs from
the overworked stable boys. n most help
full and well-nigh indispensable adjunct to
a proper understanding Of the show is
COMMUNICATIVE catalogue, and the animals
should wear number tags much more easily
read from the back seats than those now
The above is true bill against many ex-
hibitors, but the fair management is large
" 10 blame. They should insist that all ex-
bibits be so marked that all the necessary
Information can be easily obtained by the
visitor without asking "A question. 1t is not
enough for the secretary TO shove an entry
card. tack and a pencil at a farmer and
leave the latter to do the rest according 10
his own ideas. The secretary and the su-
perintendents of departments should each
have assistants who could put the neces-
sarv information on card in perfectly
readable way. If the cards could be type
written so much the better. 1t makes a
slovenly appearance TO have entry cards
written by exhibitors, showing all kinds of
| penmanship, spelling and general knowl-
| edge The heater and more accurate the
| written or printed matter about the pens
stalls and stables the better effect will the
| exhibit have upon the visitors