THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. -K>1 



opinion of your fellow breeder is a cash asset and that is won or lost In 

 the show yard much more easily and more quickly than out of it, because 

 the strife engendered there uncovers your better or worse nature and 

 shows many latent qualities unknown in ordinary intercourse with your 

 fellows. 



To sum up: Showing stock does not pay directly and immediately 

 hardly one time in ten, but it brings your name and herd before the pub- 

 lic and it successful it puts you in position to advertise more effectively. 

 A discreet advertiser must tell the truth. If you can truly say that in 

 warm competition in the show yard your stock was successful under com- 

 petent judges your advertisement appeals to the buying public, and they 

 come and see what you have, and if what you have for sale is good 

 enough you make sales. In this way you get a better class of buyers 

 and make better sales. Besides all this you learn a great deal about 

 breeding stock — the strong points and the weak ones of a breeding ani- 

 mal. You learn what to strive for and what to avoid. Your eye is 

 trained. So is your hand. And with hand and eye you are given ability 

 to form a more correct judgment. These indirect benefits are great. 

 Many a man has had all the conceit taken out of him by the show yard 

 test. At home on pasture or in his barn he thought his stock invincible. 

 In the show yard by the side of really high class stock he recognizes 

 faults he never dreamed of. And progress comes by this route. 



Brookside Farm Co.: It pays to show and advertise cattle by all 

 means. Whatever breed you fancy fii the cattle in the very best possible 

 condition and you will be rewarded for time and expense. Every second 

 inquiry for stock is: "I saw by The Gazette you were an exhibitor at 

 such and such a state fair or at the international." Many other letters 

 state: "1 saw your cattle at the state fair last fall." Now if you do not 

 show and get before the public you cannot expect The Gazette or what- 

 ever stock journal you advertise in to sell all your surplus stock. Come 

 out; if you do not earn your expenses you will learn something for next 

 year. Never count up your show experience nor your advertising in good 

 stock papers. They will pay later on. 



Thomas Clark: In answer to your inquirer I would not advise him 

 to run the risk of fitting his older cattle, unless he is an expert feeder, 

 as it is useless for any one to attempt to show nowadays with cattle 

 poorly fitted and by so doing he would be very liable to spoil his older 

 cattle for breeding purposes. But if he desires to show I would advise 

 him to show younger animals. This would be less dangerous in injuring 

 them as breeders. The reason I give this advice is that I do not think 

 any one just starting a herd can afford to run the risk of spoiling his 

 older females. As to the bull — there is little fear of hurting his breed- 

 ing qualities; in fact, I would prefer to use a bull in high condition 

 rather than in thin condition. As to the advertisement, if he shows and 

 wins quite a few premiums, it is a good investment, but if unsuccessful it 



