Live Stock Breeders' Association. 233 



to successfully evolving any type or quality we may have in view. 

 Even in this progressive age, there is no text-book for breeding our 

 live stock. No rule is yet laid down that will tell us what the mating 

 of two animals will produce. We can only foretell that by the ap- 

 pearance of the parents and weighing up what the ancestors have 

 been. Each breeder is unique and works out his own plans with- 

 out book or rules. His work must be even more original than the 

 sculptor or artist, for the latter, at least, has a model before his 

 eyes. The breeder evolves a type not seen, and produces it from 

 live flesh and blood. 



This is the work of the real breeders, aided by pedigree or a 

 knowledge of the ancestors. 



Thus far a pedigree is good, but there is also an abuse of it. 



The Shorthorn men abused their pedigrees years ago — I am 

 glad to say years ago — they are not so bad now; yet not entirely 

 free from fads. They inbred one family of cattle until that family 

 was a disgrace to the breed. Originally it was the best on earth. 

 I believe the Angus men are partly guilty of the same folly now 

 with their Blackbirds, Ericas, Queen Mothers, etc. And now a 

 Poland China breeder comes out in bold print and declares if the 

 breeders of that race do not use more sense and less fads, they will 

 only add proof to the maxim — "Our popularity ruined us." 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Gentry — I think that paper is a very good one. I think 

 that most of us, in discussing pedigree, forget something that is 

 fully as important and even more so probably. I don't care what 

 your pedigree is, or the individual that you start with, you are not 

 a success in developing the young animals properly, if you are not 

 a liberal feeder — an intelligent feeder. All breeders who have made 

 any record at all, and who have produced anything worth showing, 

 have been men who are liberal feeders. I find that the average 

 man, starting in the stock business, will overlook this important 

 thing — liberal feeding. I don't care what your ancestry is, when 

 the animal is born you simply have a foundation on which to build, 

 and if you don't build right, you don't have a good animal. But a 

 person can be a liberal feeder, and not feed intelligently; not feed 

 a balanced ration, in which case the animal will not be developed 

 properly. If anything, development is worth more than pedigree. 

 I have seen breeders take inferior stock to start with and wind up 

 in a few years with stock that is worth noticing, and that pays 



