AIM OF THE BREEDER. 305 



up until we have reached our mark. This at once emphasizes 

 the importance of a keen eye and a good judge of stock. 



It requires a most critical observer to make a good breeder. 

 He must be a broad-minded man, else he will likely get side- 

 tracked by paying too much attention to minor points and 

 not enough to the real purpose. It is said of Bakewell that 

 he always aimed to make the beauty in the form and pro- 

 portion of his animals contribute to the development of the 

 useful characters. He had a well trained eye which enabled 

 him to detect the slightest deviation of form or any other 

 points desirable or undesirable. Whenever the law that like 

 does not always produce like appeared in his breeding opera- 

 tions he always studied the cause, and if possible applied it 

 at some other time to aid him in his work. 



In breeding all classes of live stock we must ever keep 

 in mind that success will be valued by the actual value of the 

 products and the profits to be derived from them. The animal 

 is simply a machine whose duty or work is to convert raw 

 materials into finished products. If we can, by any means 

 or system of breeding, reduce the amount of running ex- 

 penses of this machine we have accomplished something of 

 value in animal breeding. If we can, by any method of breed- 

 ing, so perfect this machine that it will turn out a more val- 

 uable produce, we have accomplished much. For illustra- 

 tion: If we can produce a type of animal that can be main- 

 tained on less than the average ration, it will be more profit- 

 able, or if we can produce a meat animal with a larger 

 amount of high priced cuts than the average animal, we are 

 selling our raw material in a better market. There is no 

 subject of more vital concern to the farmer than improve- 

 ment in his methods of breeding animals. We cannot study 

 this matter too carefully. We must always have utility for 

 our watchword. 



