DAIRY, SEED IMPROVEMENT, STOCK BREEDERS' MEETINGS. 34I 



in the past few years have made expensive pork if fed on grain 

 entirely. We are all more or less careless about the breeding of 

 the hog, but here good breeding has an important place in 

 the early and easy raised animal for market. 



A very important and sadly neglected branch of the live 

 stock business in Maine is that of draft horse breeding. Mil- 

 lions of dollars are sent West for draft horses to carry on our 

 farm work, and it seems to me as though some of these horses 

 could be raised at home, es^pecially when prices are so high. 

 Draft horse breeding can be made an incident to general farm 

 operations. No matter whether it be dairying, beef raising or 

 field crops, the raising of a couple of draft colts annually can 

 be made a supplement to the principal interest on the farm and 

 not displace that interest. Breeding mares can perform daily 

 duties in the field and if properly cared for and eased a trifle 

 on the work, which, by the way, is better than abused whether 

 nursing a foal or not, well provide mostly for the nursing foal. 

 When that colt attains the age of two and a half years he is 

 ready for a part of the farm work and his cost of raising will 

 figure like the farmers' time, making the sale of this colt, when 

 sold, look almost velvet. The draft horse business needs our 

 encouragement. 



Finally, no matter what the undertaking, I would recommend 

 cooperation wherever possible. In unity there is strength. Be 

 it the breeding of horses, cattle, sheep, swine or poultry, 

 the working together is of material assistance. 



