Live Stock Breeders* Association. 173 



young men successful, because they will naturally think in start- 

 ing out what line, had we best take up. 



Often a sharper will say to a young man, "Here is an animal 

 with pedigree which I would recommend to you," when it has abso- 

 lutely no individuality. So it is with shorthorns at the present 

 time — they are, I claim, not Scotch, but simply good animals, and 

 so they were away back yonder when Amos Cruikshank bred them 

 for individuality. We also notice in the show herds that occa- 

 sionally a little Bates blood mixed in gives style and finish, because 

 simply a few men have risked going out of the regular line and 

 putting a little improvement in the points where they think their 

 cattle are wanting. 



So now, passing on down, for instance, to the different breeds 

 of pure bred hogs : We have them sold in these sales and at the 

 exhibitions at the present time, which is very detrimental to the 

 different breeds, and a man will sell an animal for a fancy price, 

 though he may not be a good individual, but sells high simply be- 

 cause he is sired by a certain other individual, when, as a matter 

 of fact, the stock he was crossed on is bad, or the animals did not 

 nick, and the buyer is disappointed simply because he bought him 

 on pedigree. (Applause.) 



The Chairman : Mr. Harned of Cooper county. 



Mr. Harned — Mr. Chairman: Possibly, in the live stock 

 breeding business, there is no other word in the whole vocabulary 

 that is so often thought of and so full of interest, but I am sure 

 there is no other word in the vocabulary of the live stock business 

 as dangerous as pedigree. Pedigree is valuable, and I would not 

 ignore its value, but it is strange the fault that gets into it. I am 

 really surprised at the false ideas that get into as intelligent people 

 as the American people in live stock breeding. It is strange that 

 when we go to look at a pedigree we look at the bottom, instead 

 of the top. We say an animal is a Young Mary ; she should be a 

 valuable article because in some way or other the descendants of 

 Young Mary have been prepotent and transmitted their qualities. 

 We have had a good example of this racket. Our friend, Mr. Kidd, 

 referred to Mr. Bates. We have had a good example of this when we 

 saw what a wreck this following pedigree too closely resulted in, 

 and it was complete. If you keep in the old line you will see what 

 you have got ; you have simply a great big, long-legged, tuberculous 

 nothing. Some men simply inbreed and inbreed — it is a disgrace. 

 I am absolutely more ashamed of breeders on this thing of pedi- 

 gree than of anything else. 



