vi FOREWORD 



use of animals in the class room or laboratory, and the 

 practice of judging by students, is such a comparatively 

 new phase of education, that it seems appropriate here 

 to refer to its introduction. In 1891, the late John A. 

 Craig assumed the professorship in animal husbandry, at 

 Wisconsin University, and that year began giving class- 

 room instruction in live stock judging, which was, so far 

 as the writer is advised, the first attempt in this field. 

 In 1894 Professor Craig wrote^ that this line of teaching, 

 though new, had been tried by him for three years, and 

 the surprising feature of it was the ease and pleasure 

 in imparting knowledge of this kind, with the animals 

 before the students, to analyze their points, as compared 

 with the old method, which deadened the mind and in- 

 terest of the student. In 1892 a live stock judging con- 

 test was held in "Wisconsin, when the students in the 

 College of Agriculture competed for a gold medal, offered 

 by Mr. R. B. Ogilvie, for the greatest proficiency ia judg- 

 ing draft horses and mutton sheep. It was not long 

 before the importance of this class of instruction became 

 evident to agricultural educators, and courses in live 

 stock judging were introduced in various colleges, and 

 grew rapidly in popularity. In 1898 was held the first 

 intercollegiate live stock judging contest, which took place 

 at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, at Omaha, Nebraska, 

 where seventeen students from the agricultural colleges of 

 Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa par- 

 ticipated. In January, 1901, appeared the first text on 

 the subject of judging live stock, a most important contri- 

 bution to live stock literature, the work of Professor Craig. 



1 "Breeders' Gazette," April 18, 1894. 



