164 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



progressive people, and soun Lhe sons and daughters are in demand 

 from those seeking to employ young men and women of good families 

 to fill responsible positions of trust at reniuneiative compensations. 

 The sons and daughters from su-^h families also invariably enjoy 

 superior advantages when it comes to the matter of selecting a life 

 companion and thus the educational influences arising from that first 

 start in the pure bred stock business goes on and on from generation, 

 wielding an immense influence for good in their own immediate com- 

 munity and to society in general. The improvement of one's moral 

 status, as well as the educational advantages obtained from breeding 

 pure bred stock, is also a matter worthy of consideration. The more 

 nearly one's time is occupied in studying questions relative to any 

 form of improvement, the less time they have to devote to the trivial 

 non-essentials of life. One of the first things to be learned by the 

 beginner In the breeding of pure bred stock is that all future substan- 

 tial success in the business depends upon his standing and reputa- 

 tion as an honest man. Absolute and unqualified honor is an essential 

 requisite to success in this business, because a man's word and repre- 

 sentations are the only guides we have as to the identity of his stock 

 and the reliability of their breeding, age, etc. If it is once learned that 

 a breeder has misrepresented the age, breeding, or anything pertain- 

 ing to record of his stock, he soon loses caste and is viewed with 

 suspicion thereafter. Thus it is that a man's moral status is given 

 additional impetus and support after he has engaged in the breed- 

 ing of pure bred stock. 



Fearing that this article will be too long we will but briefly refer 

 to the "Public Sale" feature of the subject. The "Public Sale" along 

 with the agricultural press, the agricultural college and public exhi- 

 bitions of fine stock is exerting a mighty influence both m an educa- 

 tional way and in the distribution of such stock. Many a farmer 

 attends a public sale and secures his first impression of the vital 

 importance of breeding improved stock. Here he learns by way of 

 actual demonstration that it is profitable to breed and sell pure bred 

 animals for breeding purposes. In this way the well informed, intelli- 

 gent auctioneer is in position to do much good and be of advantage to 

 both the buyer and the seller. I have heard prominent breeders declare 

 that they had received some of their most valuable lessons from attend- 

 ing public sales. There was a time when the public sale was looked 

 upon with suspicion, but that time, T am thankful to say, is passed 

 and today no business is run upon a higher plane of business ethics 

 than the selling of pure bred live stock by auction. As a convenient 



