The Proper Beef Type. 



Delivered before the New York State Breeders' Association, at Rochester, 

 N. Y., by Prof. 0. F. Curtiss, Ames, Iowa, 



I wish to say at the outset that the impression that the success 

 of mastering the great problems in the field of agriculture does 

 not require special preparation and fitness as well as careful 

 study and a high order of ability, is altogether erroneous. The 

 idea that successful farming does not require a trained mind 

 and the highest degree of intelligence, judgment and reason never 

 had any foundation in fact. Kobert Bakewell said over a hun- 

 dred years ago that it was easier to find a dozen men fit for 

 cabinet positions than one good judge of live-stocky and the con- 

 ditions haven't changed very much even to the present day. 

 Has it ever occurred to you that the ability simply to judge stock 

 accurately and well is at least of a rarer kind, if not of a higher 

 order, than that which interprets the laws of a nation. The 

 men who are employed to pass judgment on the live-stock that 

 goes to the great markets of this and other countries, men who 

 are required to know simply one thing and know it thoroughly, 

 command a higher salary than men who preside at the bar of 

 justice in the highest courts of the land. This may seem like a 

 striking statement, but nevertheless its truth is fully attested 

 by the records and salaries paid for these positions; and if you 

 were to hunt the country over, I will guarantee that you would 

 find a hundred per cent, more men competent to serve as judges 

 in the highest courts than are qualified to pass accurately on 

 the real value and utility of live-stock. The men who are em- 

 ployed to do this work at the great market centers are thor- 

 oughly trained experts. They must be able to determine almost 

 at a glance just how much and what kind of a product an ani- 



