TENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK-PART VII 289 



Your great state, occupied by a vast number of progressive farmers 

 who have developed such wonderful agricultural wealth, has before it an 

 even greater development in the future in its many lines of farming. 

 The industry which wo are considering, great as you have made it, is 

 still capable of further expansion and betterment. Our highly esteemed 

 secretary of Agriculture will lead us on in co-operation with the farmers 

 of Iowa until tuberculosis, this great drawback to her live stock inter- 

 ests, has been suppressed and Iowa stands out more prominently than 

 ever in the lead as a producer of the choicest live stock that the world 

 has ever known. 



The subject proved to be a popular one. It brought out an ex- 

 tended discussion from those present, and a very close question- 

 ing of Dr. Washburn on the statements presented. In the main, 

 however, no new facts were elicited, but the answers served to 

 nuike jilain some of the more obscure ideas. 



Following- this ]\Ir. II. S. Allen, of Russell, Iowa, presented the 

 following able treatment of tlie subject : 



THE BREEDER'S DUTY IN PRODUCING A FIXED TYPE. 



BY MR. H. S. AXLEN, RUSSELL, IOWA. 



Fixed type is one of the first essentials in the production of any kind 

 of live stock. Without it no real progress is made. The breeder who 

 endeavors to build up any of the various breeds of swine must first have 

 his ideal in mind and then must breed for that type. If his type is right, 

 and he is firm in his belief that it is, and sticks to it, sooner or later 

 the world will recognize the work that he is doing and success will 

 eventually crown his efforts. 



Every breeder should consider it his duty to produce the type which 

 will advance the breed in which he is interested, and there should be 

 a fixed type in each breed which every breeder should seek to attain. 

 The great advancement made in the past twenty-five years has largely 

 been due to men who have had well defined ideas on what constituted 

 the perfect animal. Some may and possibly will differ on what this 

 perfect animal is, but the ideal is never lost sight of, and with this 

 object in view advancement must surely come to every breeder who seeks 

 to build up his particular breed. 



Looking back over the history of my own particular breed I can fully 

 understand the value of fixed type. Today the Duroc Jersey has become 

 one of the recognized breeds of this country largely through the efforts 

 of those pioneer breeders who had certain ideals of what constituted a 

 perfect hog. From a slab-sided, long-bodied, coarse hog we have en- 

 deavored to and have produced one of the smoothest, most practical and 

 profitable breeds of swine today in this country. This would never have 

 been accomplished had not fixed type been uppermost in the mind of 

 those who were interested in our breed of swine. 



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