890 APPENDIX. 



cattle, and that breeders should cease using the words 

 Mary, Phyllis, Josephine, etc., in their advertisements, be- 

 cause they mean nothing and set up false standards of 

 comparison. Moreover, they should also adopt as rapidly 

 as public sentiment will warrant, the tabulated form of 

 printing their pedigrees for public distribution. Let us 

 stop this childish listing of Desdemonas, etc., and speak 

 of cattle as Scotch-topped American, Scotch-crossed Eng- 

 lish, Bates-topped Scotch, or in such other manner as shall 

 convey some tangible idea of the blood elements actually 

 present. I suggest a resolution requesting the Board of 

 Directors of the Short-horn association to cease making 

 these misleading and worse-than-worthless family refer- 

 ences in the herd book. This is the first step towards 

 the complete elevation of breed above faction. 



More care should be exercised in the naming of calves 

 being put on record. In the case of the individual animal 

 there is something in a name. True no high-sounding 

 title will add an inch to the spring of rib or reduce in 

 the least the length of leg; at the same time it is wrong 

 to burden a good beast with a name that is positively 

 inappropriate or flippant. One common mistake is con- 

 structing a name that is altogether too long. This evil 

 finally reached such proportions that the Board of Directors 

 of the association had to pass a rule limiting the number 

 of words that can be used in naming Short-horns to four. 

 Ordinarily two words are sufficient; and one is better still. 

 For my part I do not approve of using either the name of 

 the farm or the name of the owner in christening Short- 

 horn babies. This is at best a cheap form of advertising 

 and such names are not liked by those who buy the cattle. 

 In the naming of bulls we find in the books innumerable 

 instances where the owners have, unwittingly perhaps, 

 discredited their own work by employing a word or words 

 little short of insulting to any self-respecting, well-bred 

 animal. 



Such names as Bob, Bud, Kid, Mike, Dad, Eli, etc., are all 

 well enough around the barn, but they do not lend dignity 

 to a pedigree; nevertheless there are hundreds of pure- 



