238 HOLSTEIN-FRIESIAN CATTLE. 



three of them, and when the crowd practically decides the honors; but I 

 want to say that when you face such judges as those named above you want 

 to have dairy cattle in dairy condition. 



"Before again starting out with a show herd we secured the cows Jewel, 

 Jewel 2d, and Colantha, when in their prime, and filled out our show herd with 

 selections of cattle of their type. In those days the big money was hung for 

 herd to consist of one male and four females over three years of age. 



"These three cows, together with Rijaneta and Bettina, made us almost 

 impregnable on cows, and they were always able to carry our bull with them. 

 We were a little weak on bull until a son of Jewel 3d arrived at an age when 

 he could be shown with the herd. At this time every animal in our show herd 

 was of the strictly dairy type. 



' ' It would take up too much of your valuable space to enumerate all the 

 premiums won by Home Farm during the seasons of 1889 and 1890. Suffice it 

 to say we came home at the end of the season of 1889 with $1,300 and in 1890 

 with $1,800 above all expenses. 



"Those were the years when public butter tests were so popular at the lead- 

 ing Western state fairs and we also made entries therein. In thirteen such 

 tests we won first prize twelve times. 



' ' We aim to have our cattle perfectly broken to halter and trained to stand 

 squarely on their feet with heads erect and to stand quiet. Those to be shown 

 as a herd are frequently led into line at home and made to stand just as they 

 are expected to when the trying time comes, in order. 



" With such a judge as Mr. Wright no cow with a defective udder or teats 

 stands any chance of winning no matter how superior she may be in other 

 points. We are also much in favor of his way of selecting the best cows. 

 After standing them all in line he selects perhaps one-half of them and advances 

 them to another line just in front, and those in the back row might just as well 

 go to their stalls. This front row is again selected from and advanced as before 

 and so on until the best three or four cows stand in the front row, and to them 

 are awarded the premiums. In this way the public can learn something of 

 the comparative value of the cows. 



" The main point in making an exhibit is to advertise your herd and hence 

 you should at all times have some one in attendance whose business it is to 

 answer questions and who is well informed as to the entire herd, both those on 

 exhibition and at home. Be on the lookout for possible customers. Talk up 

 your own cattle, but do not try to build up merit for them by depreciating the 

 good points of other breeds. In fact if an exhibitor has had no experience 

 sufficient to justify him in expressing an opinion, he had best refer all inquiries 

 as to them to their respective breeders." 



H. B. Daggett : 



"In entering cows for public tests, breeders should give the cows a chance 

 to win, and not put them out of the race before it begins by this I mean the 

 bad management after reaching the grounds. Nearly any of the breeders will 

 start from home with their cows in good fix ; if they will then cut down the 

 feed while on board the cars they will do a wise act, as the jar and confine- 

 ment will tend to produce scours. But it is after reaching the fair grounds 

 that the trouble usually occurs ; when they look over the opposition their hearts 

 fail them and in goes the feed, here is where you make a mistake. Don't crowd 

 your cows ; let the other fellow do that, and he generally does it too. I am 

 sure more premiums have been lost by over than under feeding. As to a ration, 

 will say that only the intelligent feeder can tell the amount to be given to each 

 animal ; it may consist of equal parts by measure of bran and ground corn and 

 oats with good clover hay and ensilage of green corn, if it can be had." 



