Report of Missouri Farmers' Week. 363 



saddle stake with an immature horse or one that should have been 

 educated for the harness classes. This does not apply to the pro- 

 fessional exhibitor for he will try again, but to the breeder or 

 chance owner, who after seeing the awards in his locality and 

 having a desire to breed or own an animal that will excel in show 

 rings, he spends his time and money and retires, feeling that the 

 whole business is crooked. 



These are the men that should be encouraged. It is this class, 

 in every community, that combines pleasure with profit and who do 

 things. They would help raise the standard of the county fair by 

 their earnest interest and would derive a great profit from its edu- 

 cational advantages. By breeding along more rational lines they 

 would be more successful and their neighbors would imitate them. 

 The same is true in every line of agriculture. The bulletin issued 

 by the State Board of Agriculture under the personal direction of 

 Professor E. A. Trowbridge, in response to the above resolution, 

 is a creditable one and highly instructive. It shows that they are 

 truly a board of agriculture and willing to undertake an3i;hing 

 within their power to advance the agricultural interests of the 

 State. If I were to suggest any modification at all, it would be 

 that in addition to the description of the different breeds of animals 

 and their uses, I would promulgate a set of rules numbering them 

 one, two, three, etc., showing the distinct characteristics which 

 mark each class and pointing out where each breed and class is 

 liable to be deficient, so that errors in awards could be reduced to 

 the minimum. It should be emphasized, and repeated if necessary, 

 that unsoundness known to be transmissible to the offspring 

 should bar males and females from the show ring. Failure to 

 observe this rule has cost breeders much worry and money. These 

 rules should be made so short and concise that they could be incor- 

 porated in the catalogue of each county fair. Then for amplifica- 

 tion, if needed, the bulletin could be referred to. 



There is one other point — not the classification live stock, but 

 the classification of the judges who make the awards. It is posi- 

 tively useless to spend time classifying live stock unless you have 

 competent men to judge the entries. This needs no argument. 



I earnestly hope that the Board of Agriculture may be enabled 

 during the coming year to comply with the latter section of the 

 resolution, namely, "to embody in a bulletin the name, age and 

 breeding of the prize winners in each class," then will the county 

 fair have some standing as an educational institution. 



