THIRL) ANNUAL VK\I! BOOK— PART VII. 4-") 1 



greatly reduced? There is no animal that will respond to good care 

 any quicker than the hog. There is also no animal that will degenerate 

 Into a scrub any quicker than the hog when in the hands of the scrub 

 feeder. So, then, gentlemen, when studying the hereditary of the ani- 

 mals you may expect to couple and are carefully looking to their breeding 

 lines and individuality, do not forget that it is easier to reproduce defects 

 than it is merit : that an animal with the right kind of ancestry is essential. 

 This, with individuality, gives you the foundation. Then environment 

 does the rest. The boy with intelligence can become the banker if 

 properly cultivated, no matter if he is born of farmers. The banker's 

 son can become the hog man, likewise. The man that watches his feed 

 pile diminishing instead of watching his hogs eat and grow and develop 

 will never be a success. While trying to eradicate fro mthe hog what may be 

 a defect, do not forget that it must be done by increased care on your 

 part and that the feed cross is a most important one in the development 

 of excellence. 



We are not accountable for our own parentage or for the environment 

 of our birth. But we are accountable for the parentage of our domestic 

 animals and for the surroundings that go to aid their development and 

 we owe it to ourselves and our children that the increase in value of our 

 domestic animals should keep pace with the rapidly improving methods 

 of farming and all other business enterprises. 



Prof. Gurtiss said the character of the animal became, in a 

 measure, the capital of the breeder. The names of some breeders 

 add value to animals, while the reverse was also sometimes true. 

 Tho difference is due to the different judgment of breeders. Pedi- 

 gree is valuable, in that ir gives a full history of an animal and 

 indicates its probable characteristics. Buyers are willing to pay 

 higher prices for animals of assured value. 



Mr. Wolfe concurred in opinion with most of the statements 

 made in the paper, but wished to still further emphasize the fact 

 that ailments and defects are more easily reproduced than excel- 

 lence. He advises a more careful culling the number of animals 

 sold for breeding purposes. He thinks not half of the pigs raised 

 are good enough to be reserved as breeders and that in too many 

 eases the best pigs are used as a pry to sell the poor ones. He 

 believe- the time of better things is coming. 



