FOURTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART III. 167 



use all wisdom and good judgment in doing our part; that we will use 

 all available knowledge and that we will avoid doing anything that will 

 bring reproach upon it or injure it in any way. 



While there are many points relative to our business that might be 

 touched upon, there is just one in particular that I want to call your 

 attention to, for it is certainly working an injury to the business and 

 more especially should be brought to the attention of the younger breed- 

 ers — the older breeders understand it and can not be misled by it. I 

 refer in particular to the series of boom sales, with all their various 

 attachments and fictitious prices, that are now being engaged in by 

 some of the younger breeders of some of our neighboring states. To tbe 

 young enthusiastic breeder the report of these sales comes as a wonder 

 and he looks forward to the time when he, too, can make such reports, 

 but to the old breeder who reads between the lines it comes with a feel- 

 ing of disgust and indignation to think that these men engaged in breed- 

 ing a noble animal like the hog will stoop to such deception in the en- 

 deavors to draw trade. 



This is not business and is not right and the men who engage in 

 it are not permanent fixtures in the business and we as breeders cau 

 not too strongly condemn this, for it casts a shadow upon our occupa- 

 tion and is an injury to the business. While the accusation may seem 

 severe. I have only to say that the case warrants it, and while we say 

 this we do not say one word against the straightforward, honest sale, 

 either public or private, no difference by whom it is held or what the 

 average is, but our condemnation is solely upon the boomer, the man 

 who mixes deceit with his business, who must have a larger average 

 to report even if he has to promise an equal amount of bids at all the 

 sales for the next six months, or have every member of his own family 

 become bidders in order to accomplish it. Let us hope that the day is 

 not far distant when these bubbles will burst and out of the wreckage 

 will come at least the warning to others that that way was not only 

 dangerous, but very unprofitable. 



I am indeed glad that the breeders in our State have not engaged 

 in this, but as far as we are able to learn they have been examples to 

 others in' this, as well as in careful and conservative methods, and I 

 hope it may continue so. 



I hope we may all strive to set up a high standard in all depart- 

 ments of our work, so that our State may be as worthy in this as in other 

 lines. 



D. L. Howard of Jefferson, loAva, folloAved with a talk on, 

 Iowa Swine and Corn Association. 



I was greatly interested in the address of our president and his 

 account of the relation of the State to the people of the State, and I 

 thought as we have gathered here from year to year, and many have 

 gathered in other places in the interest of the swine industry, that 

 these meetings have been the most potent of anything in the develop- 

 ment of the swine. Not a great while ago I ran across a little pub- 

 lication entitled The Pig. It was printed in 1870. I have read it partly 



