Missouri Draft Horse Breeders' Association. 541 



a sucker and a yearling be shown with the mare, the mare to 

 count one-third of the entry and the colts (two or more) to 

 count^two-thirds. This requires a mare to show that she can 

 repeat on the good ones and at the same time does not put a 

 young mare at too much of a disadvantage. Then I think the 

 draft horse men should co-operate in the mule show in some way 

 to bring out the influence of draft blood in the mares. It might 

 not pay to take any part in the class for sucking mules. Dairy 

 quality in a mare often has more to do with making a winner 

 than does form or quality of bone and muscle, but in classes for 

 yearlings and two-year-olds some good special premiums paid 

 for best mule shown with its dam ought to bring out some les- 

 sons that are worth while. 



These are just suggestions for helping a county fair to show 

 the benefits of good draft blood in a farming community. If 

 they are to be carried out with good effect two or three special 

 facilities must be provided. First, the judge must be as fully 

 competent as it is possible to find. Nobody can be found who 

 knows too much. Probably the best way is to apply to the 

 animal husbandry department of your State college and make 

 it plain that an absolutely competent man is desired, and that 

 you expect to pay him for good work. There are some good 

 judges among the horse market men who have had a breeder's 

 and feeder's experience. Scales should be used, if possible, to 

 determine exact weights. Any scale company will set up a 

 good pitless scale on your grounds for the sake of the advertis- 

 ing. If the superintendent will organize his work he can weigh 

 up and tag a lot of stuff in an hour. The classes outlined call 

 for weights of only teams and the dams of entered colts, but 

 weights on every entry card lend interest and help the judge. 

 The exhibits, both in stalls and in show ring, should be so han- 

 dled as to give the public the best possible chance to see. It is 

 the public interest and approval you are after. Signs and show 

 cards at the stalls should tell the passer-by the things he wants 

 to know, and space along the stalls should be kept cleared and 

 clean. Falling over manure piles and cracking shins on feed 

 boxes in their efforts to penetrate the mysteries of blanketed 

 and implacarded exhibits has discouraged many possible cus- 

 tomers who sought to satisfy an inborn interest in better animals 

 by visiting the live stock exhibit. 



