Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-05-06
INTERVIEWS AT LONG RANGE.

]. &C. Simpson, secretary of the Iowa
State Agricultural association-The
department of agriculture paid out
last year over $4,000 in premiums to
over 500 exhibitors. The live stock
exhibit at the Iowa state fair is sec
ond to none. At the. fair of 1901 over
$50 cattle were on exhibition, this be-
ing about fifty less than the number
shown at the international stock show
at Chicago last December, for which
show the railroads in every part of
the United States made rate of one
fare for the round trip to attend. We
had more cattle at3Spr fair last year
than was shown at the. international
show the year before. We had eight
cen herds of short horn cattle, four
more than was at the show at Chi
cago. Last year werhad eleven large
cattle barns, two horse barns and a
large tent filled with cattle and every
thing now indicates that we will have
a larger exhibit of lcattle this year
than we had last. To take care of this
great cattle show, we are building four
new barns, and the legislature has just
passed bill appropriating $4,000 to
build a stock pavilion of steel and
brick, being fire proof, similar to the
one erected in Illinois on their state
fair grounds last year. This stock
pavilion will be beautiful structure,
225x175 feet. making show ring on
the inside 170x120 feet, with seating
capacity of about 1000 people. In
this building the judging of our great
cattle and horse show will take place.
There will also be on sale 100 Here
ford cattle, conducted by the Hereford
Cattle association in this pavilion one
or two half days of the fair.
There seems to be an erroneous idea
gone out that there will be a charge
for admission to this stock pavilion
which we emphatically say will not be
the case. This building was asked fol
the purpose of showing the stock ex
hibit of the fair, where people coulG
have a good comfortable place to sill
down and rest, and at the same time
take advantage of the judging ant
placing of ribbons of probably the
! greatest live stock exhibition on earth
also for the purpose of holding live
stock sales in during the year, instead
of our people having to ship their cat
tie to either Chicago, Kansas City O.
Omaha, which is now the case with
great many breeders of live stock il
4 the state of Iowa.
!. We will put down about one mile O
cement walks this year, and expect t.
e have the street car line running int
j. the grounds, and are trying in ever.
way possible to make a visit to tn
Iowa state fair in 1902, a pleasure a
well as profit to the people of Iowa
:. Some people are wont to criticiz
y the management of the department
and state fair This usually come
from a lack of knowledge, and tn
only defense we make is that we ar
human, and like all human beings ar
liable to make mistakes. The boar
will do the best it can, and asks tina
the people of the great state of low
q bear with us patiently, and in place {
y looking for a flaw in the managemer
= to criticize, devote the same amour
= of time to saying good word, thereb
. cooperating with the department i
g making the Iowa state fair of 1902 th
;. greatest in the history of the state.