Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-10-21
MORE ABOUT OUR
COUNTY EXHIBIT
a. .. Campbell Writes OF North Wis
consin Exhibit at illinois
State Fair

consin Exhibit at illinois
State Fair
The Wisconsin exhibit at the Illinois
State Fair, October 1st to 9th, 1909
was a surprise to the many thousands
of people who saw it. There were
many states represented in the exhl'
bits, most of them expending many
times as much money on their displays,
yet it was a common expression OF
visitors that in quality the Wisconsin
exhibit was the finest on the grounds.
Our grasses-clover, timothy ano
native grasses were SO superior to al
others that a blue ribbon was given
to it.
In potatoes, apples, squash, rutaba-
gas, field peas and barley the Wiscon-
sin exhibit stood as a class by itself.
Our sugar beets anr. tobacco attracted
much attention. { ne corn Wisconsin
No. 12-was displayed in the form of a
star at the foot of the grasses in a
position that made its golden glow
most noticeable. Many Illinois people
said this corn was as good as they
could grow in their counties, and sew
eral county exhibits testified to the
fact The remark was momentarily
frequent that 1--WE cannot grow as fine
products on our 5000 acre land " Why,
then, should we not be receiving many
settlers for our cutover lands from
central Illinois where lands range from
$3.50 to $3.50 per acre? Simply because
we have not sufficiently shown them
what our lands will produce. Scores
of visitors told the writer that they
had seen his articles in the papers and
had wanted to actually see our prod
ucts. In view of the fact that hund-
reds of thousands of people visit this
fair, where no charge is made for
space and where the fair management
bestows every possible courtesy upon
exhibitors, why should we not continue
to avail ourselves of this splendid
means of informing the public of the
opportunities yet prevailing in our
unoccupied areas? No one was more
impressed with our exhibit than the
fair managers, who visited US repeat
edly.
The circumstances under which this
exhibit was prepared deserves mention.
Near the close of the Northern Wiscon-
sin State fair it was learned that
space could be had at the Illinois State
fair. The chairman and secretary of
the State Board of immigration were
there and decided to take advantage of
the opportunity. Notices were sent
to the daily newspapers and the ex-
hibit was quickly forwarded. The
necessity of forwarding everything
by express rather than freight limited
the size of the exhibit. The fact that
an exhibit thus prepared was conspi-
cuous in it's superiority over all others
in the important items of grasses,
potatoes, barley, apples, squash, ruta-
bagas, garden beans, peas, sugar beets,
tobacco, and ranked least even in
many other products, suggests what
can be done in carefully prepared ex-
hibits in future years.
No one who has not been on the
grounds at such points as Springfield
can appreciate the misconception OF
the people as to Wisconsin's climate
and products. Our corn-the boys
contest at the Northern Wisconsin
State fair-and our apples, pronounced
by the superintendent of horticulture
products to be the finest on the grounds.
were such surprise to visitors that
regretted we did not have with us
some melons, cantaloupes and other
garden products.
Our twenty-foot frontage was in.
adequate to accommodate the throngs OF
people who wanted to linger at oul
booth they were forced on by the
multitude following them. At future
exhibits we should have much more
frontage and men enough there tc
answer the innumerable questions
asked by visitors.
1t is befitting that should acknowl
edge the splendid services rendered by
Thomas Foster on the occasion of the
Northern Wisconsin exhibit at the
Illinois state fair. His general gooc
judgment, energy and talent in ar
rangement make him one man IN
thousand in success I'll work in this
line. In future state e. hibits | hope tc
have his valuable assist....ce.