Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-05-29

| deal OF experience In exhibitions Of
this kind, having been connected with
the department of agriculture for some
time and being sent to various fairs
in charge of North Dakota exhibits
He does not see that the exhibition
of the real resources OF the state at
some town in the west will be any
great harm to the state fair and thinks
that the east will come to the west
with attendance and exhibits. He
says editorially
"MinOt and Bismarck are taking con-
siderable interest in the agricultural
exhibit proposed by Commissioner Gil.
breath and turned down by Fargo and
Grand Forks. At Bismarck Tuesday
night Commissioner Gilbreath, speak
ing before the commercial club on the
suggested exposition and it's being re-
fused by the Red river towns, said
there was something radically wrong
|if the statement of President Scott of
the Fargo fair, was true: that it was
impossible to get the farmers to ex-
hibit their products. His analysis of
this condition is that the fairs in the
valley towns were held too early in
the season to secure exhibits to amount
to anything, and he went on to say
that the various county fairs held later
in the year showed some of the finest
grains and vegetables he had ever
seen.
I'VE believe there is considerable
meant in the comment of the commits
sioner of agriculture, and doubtless
the issue between harvest showing
and horse racing has been we'll
weighed by the fair authorities, to the
disadvantage of the former in favor
O. the latter. 1t is self evident fact
that a fair held before harvest cannot
possibly make proper showing of the
products of the soil. 1t is. however,
the harvest season for the horses.
This contest between sport and edu-
cational elements is an old one and in
recent years the grain exhibits have
had to go. down before the superior
attractions and financial productive
ness of the amusement feature In
the older states the two are combined,
but in this state the money question
has always been in the pressing one to
settle because of the great expense of
maintaining state fair grounds, much
of the expense continuing all the year
round, and the belief that the fall is
the time when farmers can at least az
ford to be away from their work.
County fairs as rule draw only
from the people of the county, and
even in the busiest time almost every
one can take day off. but with a
fair depending upon the entire state
for it's patronage. the problem pre-
scented is entirely different and cannot
be judged by the smaller exhibitions,
as farmers attending state fair must
devote more time to 1t.
IF one of the cities in the western
part of the state decides to undertake
the exhibition proposed by Commits
siOner Gilbreath we are sure the
farmers of the Red River Valley will
be glad to patronize it in person and
also make exhibits, for undoubtedly if
carried out on the scale contem-
plated, it will be the greatest showing
of agricultural products the state has
ever seen. In view of having the state
fairs to handle we believe the cities
of Fargo and Grand Forks were wise
in deciding not to compete for this
new proposition; but neither city will
do aught to discourage Bismarck or
Minot should either decide to under
take it,"