LIVE STOCK breeders' ASSOCIATION. 195 



that condition — feed my cattle twelve months in the year ?" My friend, 

 if you have never tried it you don't know whether you can afford it or 

 not, and I say you can't afford not to. These cattle must be sold 

 sometime, that's what we all breed them for ; then if you choose a pub- 

 lic auction and do not put your cattle in the best possible condition you 

 suffer, and so does the purchaser. If you do put them in condition and 

 have allowed them to get thin in flesh it will cost you more money per 

 head to get them ready for sale than will the method I have outlined. 

 But the best and strongest argument in favor of good keep, or in other 

 words, growing them good, is the fact that they are always in sale con- 

 dition, and if a prospective purchaser comes to your place he is almost 

 sure to find something to please him, or if you desire to make a draft 

 sale, there is no esj>ecial fitting to be done. 



The breeding of pure-bred live stock must of necessity resolve it- 

 self into a commercialism, and we as breeders, should treat it as such. 

 It is not a plaything for the millionaire nor a fad for a man of moder- 

 ate means, but a business proposition pure and simple, and will admit 

 of and requires as much mental exertion as can be concentrated in one 

 particular line. 



We are next "brought face to face with the most perplexing problem 

 of the business, that of creating a satisfactory demand for our produce. 

 Printer's ink has its value which, by the way, is of no mean proportion, 

 but the fact that every man wants to be shown convinces me that it is 

 up to us breeders of improved live stock to show him. We may breed 

 the very best cattle in the world, but if they are allowed to remain on 

 the farm we have little opportunity to compete in trade with the man 

 who keeps constantly before the public as an exhibitor in the great 

 shows of this country which, by the way, are second to none in the world. 

 We are all encouraged in the work by our Live Stock Association, which 

 offer very liberal prizes for representatives of their breeds, and there 

 is no way by which the breeder can so successfully keep before the pub- 

 lic as to exhibit a few animals each year. True, the man who sufficiently 

 appreciates the value of this method of advertising to follow the shows 

 each year incurs the risk of being dubbed "A Professional Showman." 

 Be this as it may, however, the value of the show as an advertising me- 

 dium is not depreciated one particle. We rear our live stock, develop 

 it well and place it before the public to find ready sale at good prices 

 and enjoy the prosperity due us. So we must give due credence to the 

 careful, conservative management of the pure-bred herd. 



