DAIRY, SEED IMPROVEMENT, STOCK BREEDERS^ MEETINGS. 335 



FUTURE POSSIBILITIES OF LIVE STOCK BREEDING. 



J. A. McLean. 



Mankind has a strong inclination to speculate in futures. In 

 things spiritual with the vast majority the primary interest con- 

 cerns our future condition; in things physical, if we have not 

 yet reached our three score and ten limit, we are generally to be 

 found building our business or our pleasure, our castles or our 

 baubles for the days yet to come. Too few of us stop to look 

 carefully at the immediate present; we forget that there is no 

 future ; that today was yesterday's tomorrow ; and that only out 

 of the careful, steady, faithful, painstaking performance of the 

 little tasks of today can any enlarged realization of yesterdia>"'^ 

 dreams come true or a higher vision of tomorrow's be had. 



The future of dairying and of any other industry is absolutely 

 dependent upon our efforts of today. Opportunity simply means 

 that a man has met an occasion. What happens depends on the 

 man. On every hand, in every business, at every moment of 

 the day, the occasion presents itself. There are few opportuni- 

 ties because there are few men whose dreams of the future do 

 not preclude his immediate situation ; few men who realize that 

 the quickest way for most men to imove the mountain is by 

 assiduously swinging the pick and shovel. 



The future of live-stock breeding depends upon the work that 

 is being done now. Breeders who have distorted ideals, who 

 are unfaithful and slovenly in their practice are determining 

 what must he faced and overcome in the future. It is certain 

 that the live-stock industry in all its phases is permanently with 

 us. Particularly is the business of dairy cattle and dairying to 

 be with us so long as our people continue to use animal foods. 



This is so because the dairy cow is most economical in the 

 production of food for man. We shall for many hundreds of 

 years continue to "be flesh eaters; but more and more our beef 

 shall be from the loins of pensioners from the dairy, and beef 

 making shall more and more become a secondary dairy by- 



