The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-08-17
lHE COUNTY FAIR.
It's Advantages and Benefits no.,.;,.
ed by w. w. Finley, President.
southern Railway Company.


IN one or the progressive counties
'raversed by the lines OF the Soutb-
ern Railway Company has suggested
mat l write an article for newspaner
puolcation on The Advantages and
Benefits Of the County air"
1t gives me great pleasure to COM
ply with this suggestion for the rea-
son. that, in my opinion, the county
ialr can be made a most important
iactor IN the progress and develop
ment of the locality in which it is
held.
At the county fair the visitor sees
what his own neighbors are doing
where the conditions of climate and
soils are similar to those on his own
farm. The men who have attained
the best results and carried off tbe
premiums are known to him. He can
talk with them, visit their farms. and
learn just how they have succeeded.
county fair thus becomes a most eff
hcient educational institution. This
is especially true where, as at some of
the fairs in the Southeastern States.
lectures are delivered by experts in
dlfferent branches of agriculture, hor-
ticulture, live stock raising and dairy.
ing. While amusement features in
connection with a fair aid in increas-
ing the attendance, I believe that
they should be subordinated and that
the primary aim Of the managers of
county fairs should be to make them
of educational value to the farmer in
aiding him to solve his practical prob
lens.
AS a result of the study which I
have given to agricultural conditions
on the Southeastern States in con-
nection with the work for farm i'm
provement being carried on by the
Southern Railway Company, 1 have
become convinced that the most i'm
rtant problem confronting the
farmers Of our section at this time
is that Of increasing their average
yields per acre. This may be said
to be an all inclusive problem for t
involves not only cultural methods
but questions as 10 the rotation of
to raising live stock for manure as
well as for direct profit, and as to the
proper use of the right kind of fer
tilizers and the application of lime to
soil needing a lime treatment
We have just reached the time in
the United States when this problem
of increasing average yields per acre
is becoming acute. With the growth
of population, demand for farm pro-
ducts OF all kinds is increasing and
there are no longer vast areas of pro-
ductive lands in the West open to
farm settlement. The growing de-
mand must be met in larger measure
than heretofore by the farmers of
the older States, and there is no sec
ton which, by its geographical re-
lation to the consuming centers and
climatic and soil conditions, is better
situated to profit by this condition
than the Southeastern States.
The county fair can be made a
most efficient agency in the solution
Of the problem Of increasing the
yields Of our Southeastern soils. AS
means TO this end L would suggest
TO the managers of these fairs that
they require exhibitors to attach to
their exhibits or post up with them
placards giving the most complete in
formation practicable as to the con-
ditions under which they were pro-
duced. For eXampe, the educational
value of a corn exhibit would be much
increased if it should he accompanied
by placard stating the rotation of
crops in which the corn had been
grown, describing concisely the char
acter Of soil and the methods by
which it had been prepared, the
date and method Of planting, the date
and methods of cultivation, the
amount Of barn yard manure used
per acre with the time and method of
its application, the character and
amount of commercial fertilizers used
with the time and method of their
application, the yield per acre obtain
ed, and any other facts of an inSt:uc-
tive nature relative to the production
of corn. Similar placards with such
changes as might be necessary 10
adapt them to the different rxaibits
would add greatly to the practical ed
ucational value of the fair.
In brief article of this kind it is
not practicable to discuss all of the