The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1915-12-09
To Improve Our County Fair.

EUlLOT county IlICOlH.
Our first county fair was, for the
mos; part, a wonderful success, but
it is to be regretted that all Of our
people did not take the interest that
is necessary in making it greater
success, in that many of them failed
to send in exhibits of any kind.
Now at the beginning of the year,
it is the hope of the association that
each farmer, in laying out his plans
for 1916, will do so with the view of
placing the best individual exhibit
on exhibition at our fair next fall.
1t was noted that the field crop ex-
hibit at our first fair was the poor
est of all, whereas it should have
been the best, as the primary object
of all county fairs is for the greater
develorment of the agricultural in
terests thereof, and to promote and
develop rivalry,a it were. among its
people along these particular lines.
In order to overcome this deficiency
in field crop exhibits, repeat that
. our people should incorporate into
their plans at the beginning OF the
year determination to beat the
other fellow" in having the best and
most elaborate exhibit. 1t is the in
tention of the association in getting
up it's premium book for 1916 to
offer large cash premiums for indi-
vidual exhibits and still larger pre-
miums for community exhibits;
therefore if each person should for
mulate his plans with this end in
view, he could not only contest for
best Individual exhibit, but would
have, over and above, enough addi-
tional exhibits that could be put into
the community exhibit, thereby con-
testing for two exhibits at the same
time and without any additional ex-
pense.
Again, don't let US stop here. 1t
was my privilege to visit one of our
nearby county fairs and the poultry
show was accredited as being better
than that seen at the State fair, and
upon inquiry l found that each and
every bird exhibited there was raised
in that county. | felt that if our
fair did no more than to develop
poultry raising in our county alone,
to compare with this exhibit, it
would have accomplished much. This
is possible if our people will but get
interested. The Columbia State ev-
cry Sunday has a column of offer
ings of all kinds of poultry at rea-
sonable prices, and a beginning is |
that is necessary in successfully
breeding just such birds as were ex-
hibited at this nearby county fair.
was told by one of the largest ex-
hibitors there that it required only
about two hours each day to proper
ly care for his poultry; that the ex-
pense of raising them was compara-
lively nothing, ashe produced on his
farm all the food necessary for feed
ing them, and all he had to do was
to grind this mixture himself and
feed it to them. This, of itself, you
see, is but one of the outcomes of
growing crops especially adapted to
extensive individual farm exhibits,
and leads to the promotion of a very
essential and necessary industry, in
cident not only to farm development
but our county fair as we'll.
The live stock exhibit of our fair
was in some respects as goodas those
seen at other fairs, except that it did
not compare in magnitude. This
may be due to the fact that many
of our people have not given this
feature an experiment in better
breeding and improving their stock.
There is much that could be said
Of every department under our as.
sociation. but it is not the intention
of this article to criticise or dictate
stu anyone, but it is written simply to