Part II.] IIMPROVEMENT OF LIVE STOCK. 89 



find a sure and safe market; the farm is put on a business basis, 

 making a factory of it, running the year round, turning out a 

 finished product, keeping the farm force employed winter and 

 summer, — with the steady employment of labor bringing a 

 year-round income that is far from the least of the advan- 

 tages. 



We must have good live stock. In the discussion of live 

 stock the first point I would make is that farm animals are or 

 should be transformers converting vegetation into more useful 

 products; and it is only live stock that does this best that we 

 can afford to have. 



The only true value that an animal or breed can have is 

 based on its utility, and not upon some fancy point that has 

 no connection with usefulness. I would say here that when a 

 breeder or organization of breeders spend time and energy 

 developing in their live stock characteristics to gratify an idle 

 whim, something that is no use to humanity, they are on the 

 wrong track; their names will not be listed with those of use- 

 ful men; and we would say the same to all fair, record, test 

 or breeders' associations. This is a practical world and growing 

 more so. There might be some popular whim tha,t for the 

 moment could be catered to with profit, but such a thing can 

 only be temporary. Because there are ladies who are willing 

 to pay $5 or $100 for a fuzzy dog with burnt cork eyes, one 

 that she can wash and fondle and blanket, is not sufficient 

 reason for any one going into the breeding of such dogs as a 

 life's work. It is men who have lived a life of usefulness that 

 are remembered. I once saw a stallion, a mediocre individual, 

 with exceptionally long mane and tail. His owner rolled the 

 long hair on spools. A circus manager offered $500 for him — 

 it was a great deal more than he was worth. The offer was 

 indignantly refused; the owner was going to start a breed of 

 long-haired circus horses. That horse is dead; there is no 

 breed of long-haired circus horses; the man is dead; his name 

 is not written in history; he was follow'ing an idle whim. 



We have a present-day example of a horse whim — as far 

 as we Americans are concerned — in the hairy legs of the 

 British draft horses. With all their good qualities they have 

 been rejected by most American horsemen because British 



