THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART V. 193 



The popular idea is, that if a sweepstakes male and female at our 

 state fair could be crossed together, the result could be nothing but satis- 

 factory- As a matter of fact, the animais may not be at all suited, either 

 in form or in blood lines, to cross together, and it is very often the fact, 

 that the coupling of these very best animals is attended with extremely 

 unsatisfactory results. Old breeders realize to its fullest extent the dan- 

 ger and liability as to what is known as a bad cross; then,' a very great 

 proportion of our really good animals are ruined by a lack of care. We 

 hear a great deal about the danger and damage from over feeding. 



There are a great many who even go so far as to say that the animals 

 shown at our state fairs should be only in breeding condition. 



I undertake to say that ten animals are ruined by lack of feed to 

 where there is one that is injured by over-feeding. The facts are, that 

 the injury from over-feeding comes more often from the way it is taker; 

 off than in the way it is put on. It is these bad crosses, the unfavorable 

 seasons and the lack of care that is constantly working to reduce the 

 standard of excellence of all breeds of stock. They are kept up only by 

 the intelligent care and mating of the really successful breeders. 



It is the efforts of the few that are necessary to maintain the im- 

 proved standard of any breed iof stock. There are so many influences 

 that tend to deterioration in all breeds of stock that make necessary the 

 improved stock breeder. These things are true in the same degree with 

 grains and grasses. This feature of agriculture is just coming into 

 its own, and the study of it is developing the fact, that we must have 

 pedigreed seedsmen as well as pedigreed stockmen. Some have had the 

 idea that such a high state of perfection would be reached with certain 

 breeds of live stock, that further improvement would be impossible, and 

 that the general standard of excellence would be so high that the im- 

 proved breeder would lose his business. Nothing could be further from 

 the real facts in the case than this. It often requires more skill and good 

 care to maintain a herd to a high standard of excellence than to put 

 it there in the first place. In fact, the real test of the successful breeder 

 comes when he has put himself at the very top. So few are able to stay 

 there once they reach it. 



What is true of a herd is true in a broader sense of a breed, and the 

 necessity for this battling against deterioration will aiways remain. This 

 demonstrates the great need of an organization such as this that shall 

 be a permanent power for good in Iowa, and I hope that some action will 

 be taken at this, the twenty-ninth annual meeting, to place the associa- 

 tion in a position to properly represent our peerless Iowa, the leading 

 agricultural state of the union. 



The following committees were appointed : 

 Resolutions— F. F. Failor, E. H'. White and T. M. Flynn. 

 Location — G. W. Burge, E. H. White and Stustman. 

 Officers — D. L. Howard, H. R. Parsons and C. W. Norton. 



