4 WISCONSIN BULLETIN 232 



To promote this means of education, state fairs, associations 

 and oftentimes individuals directly or indirectly benefited, offer 

 liberal prizes to encourage breeders to spend their time, energy, 

 and means in fitting their animals for shows. Exhibitors, how- 

 ever, are usually benefited most by the art and skill which they 

 develop in selecting and feeding their animals and from the pub- 

 licity they derive from showing them. To be able to show supe- 

 rior animals is the best kind of advertising a stockman can em- 

 ploy. Such advertising is more to be sought after than the prize 

 money offered as premiums. On the other hand, poorly selected 

 and fitted animals detract from the educational features of the 

 show ring, misrepresent and injure the breed represented, give 

 the owner a poor reputation as a breeder and discourage, rather 

 than encourage, onlookers in selecting and rearing better live 

 stock. Too much emphasis cannot be placed, therefore, upon 

 carefully selecting and fitting animals which are to serve for 

 show purposes. 



How PRACTICAL BREEDERS SHOULD REGARD SHOW ANIMALS 



Well fitted animals exhibited in the show ring, especially fat 

 breeding animals of meat producing types, are frequently con- 

 demned by farmers and breeders who have never fitted and 

 showed live stock. It is true that one can justly criticise the high 

 condition in which such animals appear if one does not understand 

 that the owner has fitted them simply to show to the public the 

 possibilities of animals of such selection and breeding. The 

 show ring is not intended to educate the stockman to have his 

 animals in show yard condition at all times, but rather to educate 

 and to inspire him to select animals of superior breeding and of 

 such individuality that he can make them attain the size, con- 

 formation, quality, and condition most desirable when the time 

 comes to market them. 



Though the extremely fat animal is in poor condition to breed 

 most successfully, in that condition it demonstrates the possibility 

 of offspring which it or similarly bred animals may produce 

 when in proper breeding condition. The fat steer, wether, or 

 barrow is a safer means of demonstrating such qualities than is 

 the breeding animal, but there can be no objection if an owner 

 chooses to fit and show a given number of his breeding herd or 

 flock at his own risk to promote the interests of the breed and ad- 



