258 CATTLE-BREEDING. 



the purchasing public would be great and im- 

 mediate ; and not less real, if somewhat more 

 remote, would be the advantage which would 

 accrue to the whole breeding interest, growing 

 out of the rapid decrease of bad crosses put on 

 valuable strains. 



While I am no friend of mere fancy and no 

 advocate of close family lines and monopolies, 

 I am still of the most entire conviction that to 

 breed cattle with success the cattle bred from 

 must, so far as pedigree is concerned, be above 

 the faintest breath of criticism. I of course do 

 not mean as to comparisons, which the old prov- 

 erb truly says, are odious; no stock can escape 

 the negative criticism which comes from the 

 ignorant or dishonest puffers who are forever 

 going about and saying to their fellow breeders, 

 "Oh! yes, your stock is very fair and tolerably 

 well bred, but not highly or fashionably bred 

 as mine is." There is always a certain class 

 in every business, profession, and calling, who 

 ignorantly, or knavishly, or boastfully set up 

 themselves as possessing the only real thing. 

 Some are honestly self-satisfied and compla- 

 cently regard all they possess as better than 

 that possessed by others; others do it "as one 

 of the tricks of the trade," as they term it, 

 knowing that silly men are to be found every- 

 where who do not distinguish the difference 

 between notoriety and fame; between puffery 



