ANIMAL BREEDING 675 



Let the whole community, as far as possible, breed the same 

 kind of horse or other animal, so that it may win a reputation 

 for a distinctive product, and it will not only do better breeding 

 than it would if it were to breed many types, but the business 

 will be vastly more profitable. Practically all the canaries of 

 the world are bred in two villages in Germany, and no bird with 

 a false note is ever allowed to live, so skilled have the entire 

 village become in what might be called canary excellence. No 

 individual breeder can ever equal the degree of success which 

 is here evolved, where practically no other interest engages 

 the attention of the community. 



SECTION XI THE YOUNG BREEDER 



There is no reason why the young breeder should not possess 

 himself thoroughly and quickly with the principles of breeding. 

 What he lacks is experience with animals and real information 

 about breeds. He should get his experience either by grading 

 or by association with a good herd, but he must needs pick up . 

 his information, much of it at least, from intimate association 

 with men who are in the active business of breeding. 



The " sucker " in the sales ring. Above all, the young breeder 

 must keep his head. He does not need and he cannot afford to 

 pay large prices for females. If he sees some old and established 

 breeder bidding high on a young female, he must not assume that 

 he can afford to bid equally high. There are a dozen reasons 

 why the older breeder may want that particular animal, none of 

 which would apply to the young breeder. For example, it may 

 be the only one of that particular breeding outside the herd of 

 the older breeder, and he can perhaps, or thinks he can, afford 

 to pay even more than the animal is worth for the sake of con- 

 trolling that particular combination ; or he may want it to put 

 into the show ring, or to mate with a particular sire. None of 

 these reasons would apply to the young breeder, who, if he buys 

 it, takes it for its merit. 



The best way for a young breeder to get his start in pure-bred 

 animals is to get it from a reputable breeder who can be persuaded 

 to sell some really excellent and tested, or partially tested, females. 



