184 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



ment. The giraffe is a habitat of Africa, where severe drouths occur 

 every few years. The herbage is burned up and the giraffe feeds upon 

 the leaves of the trees : those with the longest necks alone survive ; these 

 in turn meet succeeding drouths, and this gave to the giraffe his elongated 

 neck. I am more and more convinced, from reading and actual obser- 

 vation, that more herds retrograde from being under-fed than from 

 being over-fed. We hear criticisms from our best farm journals against 

 the practice of over-fattening our show animals, yet the fat animal nine 

 times out of ten goes to the front ; and I make this assertion and, if you 

 think awhile I believe you will agree with me, that the herds that are 

 most successful at the fairs have for herdsmen the best feeders and fit- 

 ters. In fact, in the beef breeds we expect fleshing qualities. The 

 general verdict of the ring side is always for the animal in perfect bloom. 

 The feeder's art has been taxed to the utmost to bring the animal to per- 

 fection, and if he fails, the fault is lodged against the animal and not the 

 fitter. Between a perfect form in skeleton and rare fleshing qualities with 

 a lack of symmetry, we would always take for a feeding steer the flesh- 

 ing qualities. 



The problem for every one who is a breeder and wishes to better 

 his herd in the selection of a bull is, shall I seek certain blood lines, or 

 look for a sire that as an individual has form and style and fleshing 

 qualities? I would advise the latter course, for if you get the individual 

 WTappeci up in a mellow hide, the pedigree of that animal is the epitome 

 of both heredity and environment, and if you treat that bull and his pro- 

 geny right, your bull may form a family that will make history. 



As to definite rules to make a success in breeding they are not laid 

 down in the experience of any man, or in the pages of any book; but 

 there is a rule, the one the old painter gave to his pupil when he was 

 asked how he mixed his colors; the painter replied "with brains" — this 

 remark should be written on the door of every calling in letters of gold, 

 in pictures of silver. 



To have the brains to handle properly a fine herd requires the same 

 heredity and environment for men that it does for animals. The best 

 herds in the old country are very old herds. The work is taken up 

 by the son wIktc the father left off, the father's methods are taken in 

 by absorbtion, and later the love of llie work and keen rivalry of the 

 breeders, kindles enthusiasm for his life work. Heretofore our best 

 feeders and fitters were bred up, if I may use that term, in the old coun- 

 try. With us, I am sorry to say, many good herds are dispersed be- 

 cause the sons prefer some other calling than their fathers' work. This 

 is due from the fact that the universities over-shadow the less preten- 

 tious agricultural college. The states give lavishly of their funds for 



