Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1904-08-24
Iowa at the Worlds Fair.

interest taken by the state at large
could have been greater than it is.
Every body is coming to st. Louis TO
see the greatest Worlds Fair that ever
was, or ever will be held for genera
tions to come. The reasons for this
wholesale pilgrimage are manifold.
and one of them, perhaps the most
important is the pride the Iowan feels
in the exhibits of his state. In every
department where state products are
shown, Iowa ranks among the first
In the Palace of Horticulture 1000
Iowa apples may be seen. apples that
have no Superiors even from the great
fruit regions of New York and the
Ozarks. Later in the season these
will be replaced by plums, peaches
and grapes in attractively arranged
table displays. In the neighborinR
Palace of Agriculture. the exhibits of
farm products and especially of the
dairy are rejecting great credit on the
Commissioners and the state at largo.
Iu the production of butter Iowa
leads the world. This fact is an
nounced by q novel display in the
glass front refrigerator. Here may be
seen the bust, modelled in butter, of
John Stewart, the father of the modern
creamery. At one side of him stands
his old dairy house which he erected
in 1872. and at the other the thorough
ly equipped Dairy School at Ames. a
part of the Iowa College of Agricul-
ture. Tablets. also of butter, tell the
visitors what the three models repre-
sent.
la the center of the building is an
,, oher strong Iowa exhibit. This is a
pavilion whose primary purposes are
to show to the world the kind of grain
the Iowa soil will produce and to in
struct the visiting farmer in proper
methods of cultivation. For example.
there is an average corn stalk with its
roots that spread out over radius of
fully two feet. The purpose in show
ing this natural growth of root is to
teach the farmer that deep cultivation
cuts off these valuable roots and so
hampers the later growth of the corn.
There are jars of seed showing every
variety Of grain that grows in the tenn
perate zone, ard all of them may at
tain their highest perfection in Iowa,
for these seeds are all perfect.
In the beautifully decorated pavilion
the three corn trophies may be seen.
These are of silver and gold. One is
loving CUP. with design in corn, pre-
sented by the Farmers Tribune. An
other is a silver and gold ear of corn
that forms vase and was presented by
Wallace's Farmer. The third is
| Just an ear of corn, made of silver and
gold, and is the gilt of Senator Whit
ing. All three were prizes for the
finest ten ears of corn.
| In the Palace of education, the
manual training display is remarkable.
The specimens of weaving, basketry.
painting and needlework speak vol.
umes for the new ideas in public school
education. One of the most interest
ing objects is model house, con-
structed by two boys of Oak Park and
furnished throughout by the children
of the second grade. There are cleverly
made chairs, tables, rugs and cur.
tains, all the work of the children.
In the Palace CT Mines and Metal.
lurgy the mineral resources of the
state are fully exploited. Great blocks
of coal show what the Iowa mines are
producing. The gypsum display il
accompanied by statistics showing that
a large part of the staff work used Oh
the Worlds Fair buildings came from
the quarries of Iowa. There is a val
liable exhibit of lithograph limestone
in slabs that are large enough fol
practical use. The clay of the state
is shown in the form of glazed pottery
made at Fort Dodge, and in the form
of pressed brick from the Lehigt
hydraulic presses. The most interest
ing exhibit in the booth is col
lection of specimens of highly polished
fish egg marble, a rare, beautiful stone
The most expensive and elaborate
part of the Iowa display at the Fair il
the handsome state home that stands
at the head of CommonwealthAvenue
It's main entrance has magnificent
colonnade like that of the Capitol al
Des Moines. and at the east and wes
ends there are mi-circular colonnadt
loggias that resemble the entrance t.
the old Capitol, now one of the uni
versity buildings at Iowa City. Ii
front of the north entrance are th'
four splendid bronze statues of Sher
man, Farragut. Henderson and Dodge
thst were the gift of Ex-Governor ant
Mrs. Larrabee. Organ recitals ar,
given every afternoon by Mr.. Masoi
Slade, assisted By Miss Anna Larrabee
Much of the success of the Iowa ex
hibit is due the untiring zeal of Iowa