A HISTORY OP SHORTHORNS IK KANSAS 169 



an uiiusuall}' liigli price in sudi sale helped the 

 selling price of the entire offering. 



Where the Danger Lies. — There is a danger 

 X)oint in the purchase of Shorthorns of fashion- 

 ahle pedigrees which can not help being an in- 

 jury to the l)reed and which should he a discredit 

 to any breeder who encourages it. It lies in the 

 selling of these fashionahles for lireeding pur- 

 poses at high prices, when they arc not good indi- 

 viduals. We ha.Y<.' all seen this done l)uth at pulj- 

 lic sale and at private treaty. Cattle of a])XDroved 

 Scotch pedigrees witli(.)ut merit enough to l)e 

 classed as even fairly good liaA'c sold for 2->ossil:)ly 

 doulde the amouih, required to Ymy an excellent 

 Scotch topi)ed animal, fi'equently haviiig a 

 stronger infusion of good Scotch blood than the 

 fashionably bred one. In this <-ase the purchaser 

 is either a victim (_)f a f;dse idea of the value of 

 pedigrees or he is a speculator who intends to 

 unload on an unsuspecting Iniyer. The usual re- 

 sult of such iDurchase is that the man who makes 

 it has a poor herd, when for less money he might 

 have had a good one. Then thei-e is another con- 

 sideration which should discourage such pur- 

 chases. Not every one is in a position to sell at a 

 price above that justified l)y the real merit of the 

 individual and the real merit of its immediate 

 ancestry. 



What is a Good Pedigree. — There can be only 

 one ansAver to this, liood is the opposite of l^ad. 



