392 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



nent stock journals (especially the Gazette) always pays. The little 

 "one-horse farm papers" and local newspapers do not pay. It is well 

 enough to stand in with these people, but as a business proposition it 

 does not pay. Second, the continuous exhibition of choice specimens 

 from the herd, especially of your own breeding, at state and county fairs 

 and fat stock shows pays. The cattle must be selected with judgment, 

 well fed, well groomed and well shown. In addition to all that it is im- 

 portant that the exhibitor always be a gentleman. The other fellow is 

 just as anxious to win as you are. If you cannot take defeat gracefully 

 stay out of the show ring. You should be a good judge yourself and 

 know when you are beaten. Boast of your winnings all you like, but Keep 

 still about your defeats. The more fuss you make the more you adver- 

 tise your defeats, which is very poor kind of advertising. If the sting of 

 defeat is very sharp avoid talking much until the next day, especially to 

 the judge and your victorious opponent. The average judge is as honest 

 if not more so than the average exhibitor. Most beginners do not give 

 sufficient attention to properly exhibiting their animals. Very few ani- 

 mals make a good show if left to themselves. If we had only one eye 

 it would never be taken off the animal while under the judge's inspec- 

 tion. If you have two, keep one on the animal and the other on the judge. 

 If we could only have a third eye to watch the other fellow's animal we 

 would like it. If we had a dozen not one would have time to see the 

 horse race or the balloon go up or the crowd. Keep your eyes open and 

 your mouth shut. Both are very important. Remember you are as a travel- 

 ing man exposing his samples to the public. Therein lies the value of 

 exhibiting at the fairs. You can get a few hundred folks to come to your 

 farm during a year, but at a big fair you expose your samples to thou- 

 sands each day. If your samples are not very good the public will 

 assume that what you have in store at home is certainly no better. Do 

 not tell that you have better at home than you have at the fair. Some 

 one may look at you as though he might doubt it. Be courteous to all 

 people at all times. You cannot always judge a buyer by his looks. Now 

 if you can be all these and do all these things everybody will be glad to 

 recognize the merit of your animals and the stock papers will be glad *o 

 give you a lot of free advertising that will greatly aid you in your busi- 

 ness the year around and make the show business a very profitable one. 

 Fifteen years' experience in exhibiting the Meadow Brook herd of 

 Aberdeen-Angus cattle at the large fairs from New York to St. Louis has 

 taught us that the foregoing are some of the essentials of success in 

 exhibiting a show herd of cattle. How well we have learned our lesson 

 is not for us to say here. The show business is one that has to be learned 

 our lesson is not for us to say here. The show business is one that has 

 to be learned by experience. Not many succeed in winning many prizes 

 at the big shows the first year or so, but "success comes to those who 

 hustle wisely," and come back each year a little better than the year 

 before. It costs on an average from $100 to $200 for each large fair 

 attended with ten head of cattle, besides the expense of fitting before 

 starting. As our state fairs give only from $400 to $600 each breed and 



