The Tupelo journal., 1907-11-29
By Il. e. BLAKEsLEE, JACKSON.

The State Fair is over and was de-
clared by all who attended it as a pro-
nounced success. The agricultural and
horticultural exhibits were as good as
could be shown by any State in the
Union, and yet Mississippi was only
| half trying. Not ten per cent of the
counties were represented by anything
like regular county exhibit. The new
| Agricultural Hall was crowded to its
full capacity with products that could
not be excelled anywhere; the poultry
show of over five hundred birds was
revelation to our own people as well as
outsiders; the hogs, live stock of all
| kinds, commercial exhibits, machinery,
| etc., made wonderful showing for a
State that is known to possess wonder
| full resources, but is generally consider
| ed as being far behind the times in the
way of development. The attendance
the first week was splendid, the last
| week being cut off to considerable
extent by very cold weather, but withal
it was satisfactory. The management
was pleased and are now planning for
| larger event next year, when additional
buildings will be ready for live stock,
chickens, dogs, machinery, etc.
Entirely too much space would be re-
| quired to enumerate all of the magnifi-
| cent exhibits and give than the men,
tion merited. Jackson county, as in the
| past, carried off honors for the best
county exhibit, with Yazoo close sec
ond. Holmes, Warren, Copiah, Will
| kinson and Kinds were well represent
ed with comprehensive exhibits. The
| Farmers Union made a demonstration
that elected admiration by showing
some of the products produced by this
| excellent organization. The Cotton
Association again made fine demon
| stration of the need of manufacturing
cotton in the South. Millsaps College
and the Audubon societies fitted up an
| instructive and interesting booth. The
| A. & NJ. College brought car load of
| fine stock and a car of industrial exhibits
that were the center of adEiring crowds
| during the Fair. The Baptist Orphan
age exhibited few of the products of
| its farm that were as good as the best.
The fourth annual State Fair has
| clearly demonstrated that such an in
stitutlon will be accorded hearty en-
| dorsement by the people of Mississippi,
and that it will be worth millions of
| dollars in the course of few years.
| The problem now is, shall it be contin-
ued as a stock company managed by in
| dividuals or made a State institution in
every sense of the word, as are the
fairs in great number of the Southern
States. 1t was not begun as a concern
to make money for the stockholders,
but experience has proven that in few
more years it will be splendid divi-
dend-paying concern. Then the sug-
gestion comes as to what is best for the
future. A fair should not be money
making institution, the benefits coming
to the general good OF State or COM
munity. All profits arising should by
all means be returned in the way of
premiums to exhibitors; the larger the
premiums offered the more varied and
better the exhibits. When it is posi-
BILE to offer $500 for the best herd of cat
tie or $3.50 for the best mule colt, breed
ers will be encouraged to get their
stock in show shape and attend the
fair. When $500 can be paid for the
best one-farm exhibit or county exhibit,
the number of exhibits will be increas-
ed many times. Then it is that the
fair is success, demonstrating to our
people what can be done and encourage
ing them to try and do likewise.
These are matters Of sufficient i'm
portance to demand careful considera-
tion at the hands of Mississippians. The
old State is waking up and taking on
improved methods in hurry, our peo-
pie are doing better year by year and
the fairs are doing as much or more to
aid this movement than any other one
thing.
AS an example of what small farmer
can do in Mississippi, the Hazlehurst
Courier notes that Silas James, living
three miles from town, made this year
with only two small boys fer help, nine
bales of cotton, averaging $50 pounds
to the bale, which brought him S54S IS
and the seed S65, totaling S613.55. Be-
sides this amount of cotton Mr.. James
raised enough corn to do him, plenty
of potatoes, peanuts, molasses, meat
and lard. If there is State anywhere
that can offer a man more than this,
where is it? Why 60 West looking for
something better when we have the
best the sun shines on right here at
home? We need in Mississippi an or
ganization to keep our young men here
more than one to bring them here from
other less favored States. The best in
many of the newer States were recruit
ed right here, and that because effort
was made to exploit the advantages OF
those States. Keep our people here by
proving to them that Mississippi offers
more than any other State under the
sun, and it can be done.
The demonstration of road building
machinery at the State Fair on the 9Th
and 9th was attended by about 15O
members of the various boards of SUI