The Detroit times., 1914-09-04
FAIR
OPENS MONDAY;
OLDEST IN U. 5.
First Exhibition Held in 1s4s on
What is Now Grand
Circus Park
ACT CREATING BIG SHOW ,
SOUNDS AMUSING NOW
Provides That All Prize Winners
Furnish Detailed ''Pedigrees"
Of Exhibits

The Michigan State fair. which be-
gins Monday, and continues to Sept,
Is. is the sixty-hfth annual exhibition
OF the Michigan State Agricultural So
ciety. Significance Is given to the
annual" as the Michigan fair Is the
Oldest exhibition OF Its kind In the
United States. Its birth antedates
by four years the Ohio state fair. and
the other commemorative follow In
varied order In their rear.
The first exhibition was held In
Detroit In 1849, on land which now Is
Grand Circus park. At that time II
was Q field beyond the city limits.
The total receipts from every source
amounted to less than 5000. II was
a stupendous sum In those days. and
the men behind the venture were SO
encouraged by the fairs success that
they determined upon permanent
organisation. A board of directors.
headed by Gov. Ransom as the hrst
president, was named, and constr
tuition and bylaws were drawn up.
The Michigan State Agricultural so
ciety was created by q special act OF
the next legislature. II provides that
each one Of the a. directors was To
receive 50 per day for services for
period not to exceed 10 days and
that the president OF the fair was to
receive 500 year.
One section OF the act declares:
The society may award premiums
on such articles, productions and I'M
provements as they may deem best
calculated to promote the agricul-
tural and household manufacturing
interests OF the state, having speoial
reference to the most economical or
profitable mode of competition in rails
Ing the crop or stock, or In the lab
rication OF The article offered: pro-
vided always that before any premt
UNI shall be- delivered, the person
claiming the same. or TO whom the
same shall be awarded. shall deliver
to the president of the society ip
writing. IN accurate statement and
description, verified in such manner
- the oflcers aforesaid may direct,
OF the character OF the soil and the
process OF preparing 1t. including the
quantity OF manure applied In rails
ing the crop. or the kind and quantity
of food In feeding the animal, as the
case may be; also the kind and cost
OF labor employed and the total ex-
pense and total product Of the crop,
or the increase In value OF the ami
NAL, with q view Of showing accur-
ately the resulting profit"
While entirely possible In those
days this provision on its very face
could not be complied with now"
says George w. Dickinson, general
manager Of the fair. THE number of
exhibits for which premiums will be
given at the fair this fall run up into
the thousands. No doubt the infor-
nation secured from each premium
winner would be valuable but he
would have to hire q secretary, a
raphers to his farm payroll II he
obeyed II to the letter. We endeavor,
by lectures at the fair by those who
have made notable successes In any
one line OF farm work, to impart as
much of this information az we can.
The products, Of course. speak for
themselves.
"One other section In the original
act. shows how little the founders OF
the fair comprehended what It's fu-
ture would be- 1t reads: The real
and personal estate which the said
society shall be authorized to take,
hold and convey over and above its
library and its scientific and agricul-
tural collections, shall not at any
time exceed In amount the value OF
$4,000. That, of course. has neces-
sarily been changed. The state fair
plant today represents value close
to three-quarters OF q million dollars.
and the premiums and purses offered
for the fair this year, are more than
seven times the limit imposed on the
fairs property 85 years ago."
The newsboys OF the city will be
the guests OF the Michigan State
Agricultural society at the State fair.
on Children's day, Saturday, Sept
IL. Free tickets will be given to the
newsboys.