290 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BEEKSHIEES AND YORKSHIBES. 



N. H. Gentry, of Sedalia, Mo., tied the ribbons in the Berkshire 

 class. Tlie Sutton farm was winner in the aged boar class, afterward 

 being awarded the purple ribbon on this animal. The lowana farm 

 were strong competitors in all classes. Berkshires are one of our 

 earliest breeds; at the same time they have not, in our opinion, made 

 the advancement they should in having good feet and short pasterns. 

 Also, in addition to size of bone, the general run of animals in this 

 breed would materially waste their selling qualities to the average 

 corn belt farmer. 



Three herds of Yorkshires were entered, as were some Tamworths. 

 These two breeds are always light shows at the Iowa state fair, the 

 average farmer in this part of the country preferring to raise more 

 of the lard breeds in preference to the bacon type, due to the fact 

 that corn is the main feed on which they have to depend and corn is 

 not a good feed on which to raise bacon animals. 



CATTLE DEPARTMENT. 



That Iowa will come to the rescue and supply the beef needed by 

 the warring nations can be but little disputed if one may judge by 

 the magnitude of the exhibit of pure-ibred cattle at Des Moines. It was 

 without any question superior to any previous display seen there, and 

 many who have followed show circuits for years counted it a record- 

 breaker for the territory west of the Mississippi. The scarcity of cat- 

 tle at the large markets of the country has awakened the small farmer 

 to the realization that he must begin to produce calves which are to 

 consume surplus grain and roughage. The breeder of registered beef 

 cattle is aware of this and he is coming forward to the big shows with 

 the idea of a/ttracting the fair visitors' attention to sale stock. For- 

 tunately, the week was quite cool and the heavily laden show beasts 

 seemed to come through in nice shape. No deaths at the fair grounds 

 were reported, although one of the Angus exhibitors lost a two-year- 

 old bull in transit, for which he had paid $2,005 last winter. 



Beef cattle must be fitted to make a creditable showing, yet breeders 

 would prefer to keep their animals in moderate flesh. Perhaps this 

 may be possible at some time in the future. When one goes to 

 the shows and sees beef cows weighing upwards of a ton in show shape, 

 with their calves at foot, weighing possibly forty or fifty pounds when 

 several weeks old, he cannot help but wonder if the high-fitting has 

 not proven detrimental. Several years ago the Hereford people en- 

 deavored to pass a rule prohibiting the exhibition of cows over four 

 years old. This would doubtless aid the producing record of many 

 showyard heifers. 



SHORTHOKXS. 



Leslie Smith, of Minnesota, a breeder, herdsman and showman of 

 many years' experience, tackled the difficult task of ribbon awarding 

 in this breed. There was a total of 258 head, representing thirty-one 



