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Man and child with vegetable exhibit, Standing Rock Fair,
Fort Yates, ND
SHSND# 1952-0574By 1927, charlottes had disappeared from the list. The strains of the agricultural depression seemed to have taken a toll on the fair in the late 1920s. Grapes appeared in the fruit list in 1924, but have disappeared by 1929. The categories were noticeably broader (or simpler) by 1928, and in 1930 there were only 16 categories for 13 different kinds of vegetables and 10 open categories. This probably reflects diminished interest in the fair, or perhaps financial restraint on potential contestants.
The premiums on vegetables and fruits changed but little over the first thirty-five years of the Morton County fair. Usually the first prize was $1.00 and second prize $.50. In 1899, prizes rose to $2.00 and $1.00 but soon dropped back to the earlier rate. In 1921, prizes were briefly raised to $1.50 and $1.00 and then reverted to the lower rate again. Occasionally, certain categories such as string beans, radishes, or turnips, might have lower prizes than the rest of the categories.
In 1924, a new class, Market Gardens, was added. This class existed for only a few years, and was strictly for truck gardeners. No exhibiter could enter both Market Gardens and Vegetable classes. The categories in Market Gardens were simpler and there was less emphasis on display. The categories included beans, beets, carrots, cucumbers, onions, parsnips, rutabagas, squash, turnips, and potatoes.