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Show Pocatello Tribune Editor Gives Views on County Fairs Alt too often a county fair shows only a collection of agricultural products prod-ucts of mcdlocro quality and of little educational value A county fair should bo a county affair, should bring country peoplo together nnd stlmulato Interest in better farming, bettor marketing and better rural conditions. "Hlggest pumpklm," "bggest boots," "freaks," et . when tho air Is mndo a museum, when buck Ing contests, roundups, roping contests con-tests and tho llko prevail, will not do this. Theso hnvo no effect upon tho improvement of fnrmlng nnd upbuilding upbuild-ing of tho lountry. Such Is tlio suggestion sug-gestion given In n statement on extension exten-sion work given by tho state agricultural agricul-tural college Tho nvorngo country fair attempts too much, also, In tho way of giving prizes nnd premiums. When prizes nro offered for almost every kind of crop and animal, there Is likely to bo a lack of real competition. Premiums should bo restricted to a fow well chosen lines, thoso which soom of greatest Importance to tho country nnd which should bo encouraged tho most. Somo lines would bo featured by special premiums. Dy thus concentrating con-centrating on a fow lines, real om-potltlon om-potltlon will bo sccurod nnd the prizes priz-es and premiums avaliablo will go much farther. They will bo really worth trying for. Instead of so many small cash prizes, ribbons, or ongraved "nwards of merit" may bo given. Theso may stlmulato greater competition nnd ho cherished moro than cash or special prizes. Fnlrs should feature such Classes It seems desirnblo to encourage In th.? county, especially livestock. But !n tho llvo stock ilasscs, emphasis, should bo placed upon typo and real worth, nnd not morely upon breeds. We nerd better cows, bettor steers, better horses, better sheep and pigs, not moro varieties. Itecords of production pro-duction Bhould bo encouraged. The omphaB's Bhould bo placed upon what tho cow does and not upon her ram-lly ram-lly tree Such lines of agricultural production produc-tion as corn, seed production, better grades of market fruit, grain and hay, market lots of livestock and poultry should bo featured. There la a ton-rfency ton-rfency nlso, to offer too many prizes for different varieties of fruit nnd garden products, whorens bettor marketing, mar-keting, tho growing of only thoso varieties va-rieties demanded by tho market should bo encouraged. A fair should bo cduiattonal. Money Mon-ey and effort nro wasted upon exhibits exhib-its of crazy quilts, tidies, etc., of tho 1887 crop, and fussy cakes and plea. Tho farm women should bo encouraged encourag-ed to mako bettor homos. Therefore exhibits of conveniences for tho farm homq, exhibits that will show how rurul health may bo improved: how better bread Bhould bo mado; methods meth-ods of homo canning of meat, fruit and vegetables, all should bo encouraged. encour-aged. What nro tho rural schools doing? Havo you a real country school, or only n school In tho country? .What nro tho bcIiooIs doing to hold tho young folks In tho country, to Btlmu-Into Btlmu-Into Interest In homo keoplng nnd fnrmlng? Exhibits of rural school work in agriculture nnd homo economics, econo-mics, in boya and girls club work always al-ways recelvo n great deal of attention atten-tion nnd n county fnlr cannot do better bet-ter than to encourago this sort of work. Many county fairs havo been most successful In featuring somo product which tho county Is getting known for, on ono, or several days of tho fair. Thus In somo counties Potato Day, Biscuit Day, Applo Day, Pork Day, etc., havo sorvod to st mulato groat Interest in tho fair and advertised adver-tised tho county. It Is nlso tho custom cus-tom to sorvo roasted pork, baked apples, ap-ples, and potatoes, blsiults and tho llko with n frco or low priced lunch-con lunch-con on theso days. Other fairs havo mado a success of fnrmors plcntes, whoro peoplo from tho samo part of tho county gathor nnd havo a Jollification. Jollifi-cation. All such efforts stlmulato Intorvst In tho farra.ng and country llfo of thnt county, mako tlio fair n real country fair, a get together place for rural peoplo. Tho nvorago county fair can do much to Increase Interest Inter-est In bettor farming nnd better rural llfo. Tho moro lollecting of turnips, grains nnd carrots, tho giving of prlz os for a fat hog, plates of red np-pies, np-pies, nnd works of art, will not do this. Wo need real country fairs Pocatello Tr.buno. |