FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



they have comfortable quarters and 

 enough to eat. One cannot help noticing, 

 however, how differently they behave in 

 the presence of strangers than with their 

 regular attendants. Like children in 

 the presence of company, they usually 

 fail to show all the wonderful qualities 

 which have been ascribed to them. A 

 change of milkers produces a loss in milk 

 yield. The cows are worried by strangers. 



In a much greater degree the horse 

 understands our desires and forms close 

 personal attachments. The horse knows 

 instantly when a stranger has the reins 

 and soon learns whether it is safe for 

 him to "soldier." Our horse remembers 

 kind acts and also cruelty. He knows, 

 too, whether or not we are likely to 

 enforce our orders. 



The domestication of animals implies 

 a sort of contract. It is not a one-sided 

 affair. The animal on his part agrees to 

 fit in with the schemes of man and fur- 

 ther his purposes by doing the appointed 

 tasks. In return for these services man 

 is under obligation, to protect his animal 

 associates from cold, heat, flies, and 

 storms ; to furnish them suitable rations ; 

 and to give them sanitary quarters. The 

 domesticated animal is a servant and the 

 servant has rights. The man who beats 

 or otherwise maltreats his stock is not 

 only a brute but a fool from a mere bus- 

 iness standpoint. If you abuse your 

 farm animals you get less wool, less mut- 

 ton, less pork, less beef, less milk, and 

 less work. This is one case in which 

 money and decency are on the same side 

 of the scales. 



Proper sanitation — The same may be 

 said of farm hygiene. Animals require 

 sanitary quarters just like man. Yet 

 who has not seen farm stock in stables 

 quite without ventilation, with moisture 

 dripping from the walls and full of filth 

 and foul odors? Under such conditions 

 stock cannot thrive or produce a profit 

 for the owners. Moreover, animals have 

 the right to healthful surroundings. In 

 becoming servants of man they gave up 

 the freedom which enabled them to se- 

 cure plenty of fresh air, untainted food 

 and a clean bed-ground. Anyone can 

 readily convince himself that farm ani- 

 mals are naturally of cleanly habits and, 

 if a choice is offered, will not voluntar- 

 ily lie in filth or eat soiled food. It is 

 an easy matter to encourage and 

 strengthen this tendency. By so doing 

 we serve the interests of the farm stock 

 and our own pocketbooks. 



"Weaklings — In this connection we 

 wish to call attention to a reprehensible 

 tendency among some breeders. Many 

 fancy or pet breeds have been produced 

 with a peculiar and striking set of char- 

 acters or with some peculiar feature but 

 without health or vigor. Such creatures 

 may be interesting but they are pitiable. 

 Few of us can find pleasure in the study 

 of weaklings. Vigor, power and action 

 are more attractive. 



Another debt to domesticated animals 

 which is not always acknowledged is the 

 fact that man remained a savage in every 

 sense until he acquired animal friends. 

 The first real step in civilization was the 

 domestication of animals. Some animals 

 were first tamed not from any selfish 

 motive, but purely for comradeship. 

 Thus the dog was first valued as a com- 

 panion but was soon found to be useful 

 for various purposes. 



Successful agriculture is the very 

 basis of civilization, but the soil could 

 not be cultivated without the help of 

 animals. Man needed animals also for 

 transportation of burdens, for food, 

 clothing and for innumerable utensils 

 and articles used in construction. The 

 races which showed the greatest skill and 

 shrewdness in taming and training ani- 

 mal servants made the greatest progress. 

 Similarly today the most prosperous 

 stockman is the one who has the most 

 improved breeds and knows best how to 

 handle them. Primarily, too, he does 

 not raise fine animals because he is 

 prosperous, but he is prosperous because 

 he keeps fine stock. 



Important live stock problems — 

 To the student stock raising offers 

 more interesting and more difficult prob- 

 lems than any other line of life work. 

 The world has long worried over the 

 various questions of heredity and varia- 

 tion. These can best be solved by work- 

 ing on domesticated animals. The aver- 

 age farmer can easily keep a record of his 

 animal breeding which will be of the 

 utmost value. He has to learn how to 

 produce more fat or more lean, large 

 bones or fine bones, long or short legs, 

 long or short snout, fine, delicate ears, 

 the proper expression in the eyes, smooth- 

 ness and regularity of form, a well bal- 

 anced development, the deposition of fat 

 in certain parts of the body, a marbling 

 of the meat, strength and elasticity of 

 bone, delicacy of skin, a certain fineness 

 and length of hair, definite color and 

 definite color patterns, feather markings, 

 size, color, and form of comb, wattles, legs 



