l8o MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



who prefer building barns to building libraries and who would rather 

 feed a balanced ration to their fine stock than grand dinners to a French 

 actress. They do not spare money in the purchase of the stock itself, 

 nor in the arrangements for housing and feeding and care. They make 

 the animals and the conditions as ideal as possible. That is a good thing 

 for us to think about, working to an ideal, a pattern. 



There is good money in that thought, as well as a little sentiment. 

 To have in mind an ideal shorthorn, or Poland China, or Cotswold; and 

 to feed and breed and cull and strive every day to reach that standard 

 is the same thing as saying, "my stock is better this year than it was 

 last, and consequently worth more money." That is my first point: 

 Have an ideal. A merchant who would attract and hold his trade is 

 particular to be in the fashion and keep up with the latest style. 



Fashions in pure-bred stock change, and come and go. Glancing 

 through the advertising pages of the Breeders' Gazette, there you will 

 see the names of certain families and strains of blood repeated again 

 and again as an inducement to buyers. The Jersey bulletin is the same ; 

 on every page appears the magic words, "Golden Ladds," which just 

 now is the fashionable and no doubt extremely worthy Jersey style ; and 

 the same with the swine papers. "Perfection" and "Keep-on" are the 

 words to conjure with in the Poland-Chinas. These are examples of 

 wliat is true in each of the breeds of horses, cattle, hogs, sheep and 

 even chickens, in fact, in all pure-bred stuff. To meet general approval 

 and command a ready sale, the pedigreed animal must own a strain 

 of this notable and fashionable blood. Understand me now, I am not 

 saying that what is the most fashionable and sells the quickest always 

 meets your ideal and mine of what is truly the best. Great minds will 

 differ, and in this connection we recall with amusement how a certain 

 breeder of Jerseys, on exhibition at St. Louis, afterwards made a sale. 

 In their sale catalogue they referred to some of their choicest animals in 

 terms of praise, but added that they would not probably be wild and 

 woolly enough to please certain judges. The fashionable style may 

 not be your notion of the best, but as a business proposition I make my 

 second point : Be in fashion and offer stock of the breeds most talked 

 about and sought after. To understand clearly wliat are the leading 

 lines of pure-bred stock and to keep in touch with the doings of the 

 breeders and feeders, and buyers and sellers, close reading of various 

 agricultural papers from week to week is a real necessity, and a great 

 pleasure as well. Bulletins from the Department of Agriculture and 

 State bulletins are a great help, a wonderful help; and it is a queer 

 condition that, with these few I have mentioned and many more that 

 I havn't time to mention, fairly holding out their hands and beseeching 



