Five thousand square feet of space was secured in the Palace of Horticulture at the exposition for the exhibit and installation and fixtures placed thereon prior to the opening of the exposition, May 1, 1904, upon which date the exhibit was put in place and maintained with apples from storage of 1903 crop until the crop of 1904 began to mature about June 1.  From this latter date fruits of all kinds were supplied as they matured during the period of the exposition.  Among the most popular varieties of apples exhibited were:  For early apples—­Yellow Transparent, Red June, Benoni, Wealthy, Duchess, Maiden Blush.  For fall or early winter—­Grimes Golden and Jonathan.  Winter varieties—­Wine Sap, Willow Twig, Rome Beauty, Ben Davis.  Peaches—­Reeves, Elberta, Diamond.  Pears—­Bartlett, Tyson, Sechel, Duchess.

Mines and metallurgy exhibit.—­The mines and metallurgy exhibit covered a space 25 by 75 feet facing on two of the main aisles near the southeast entrance to the Mines and Metallurgy Building.

The installation was uniform with that of the other exhibits of the State.  The object of the exhibit was to show particularly the mineral and to some extent the mineral industries.

The most important branch of production, according to its value, was that of coal.  After this came the various materials used in the manufacture of brick and ceramics.

The building stone, although limited to a few varieties of limestone and sandstone, was of great importance, as was also some stone and gravel used for road material, railroad ballast, concrete, and flux for iron reduction.

The exhibit of coal consisted of a series of large blocks intended to show the character and thickness of the veins; the largest block, weighing 15 tons, is the largest single piece ever hoisted from a mine.  There are 11 of these blocks from different mines, ranging from the largest down to one block of 1 ton.

In clay products the importance of the industry could only be shown by statistics, as common brick, which is made all over the State in such a uniform character, are so well known that exhibits are not necessary.

Neither the geology nor topography offer many opportunities for the development of stone quarries, but such stone as is extensively used was displayed.  The limestones of the Silurian series are the principal sources of supply, the quarries about Joliet being among the largest in the United States.  The limestone is generally used in the form of rubble or rock-faced ashler.

The exhibit at the United States Fish Commission Building was in the large aquarium situated in the southeast corner of the building and the two smaller aquaria immediately adjoining on the right and left.