32 Forty Years' Expeeience of a Pbaotical Hog Max 



the result? After a term of years one man has a herd that 

 approaches uniformity and that gives results in a measure 

 approaching his ideals. The other has hred a nondescript 

 herd, and produced nothing of serious value. The stock 

 produced by one is in constant demand. The other wonders 

 why he cannot find buyers. 



We have some breeders in America of a constructive sort,, 

 men who have done much for the breed. These men have 

 had ideals, and have sought to mate with the view of mak- 

 ing something better than they found. 



The number of men who desire to purchase $12.00 to 

 $15.00 boars is far in excess of what some might think. 

 They want something pretty good at that. What they 

 really need is a scorching education, by which they are 

 made to comprehend the meaning of the breeding busi- 

 ness and what it leads to. It is most unfortunate that so 

 many men measure their needs by a definite price rather 

 than a specific sort of animal. 



Here is a man who has a lot of sows that are inferior in 

 ham-development. They may be very good otherwise. 

 With him, it should not be cost as a first consideration. 

 . Rather it should be the securing of a sire to improve their 

 weakness. No man today holds the trade of the par- 

 ticular buyer, who does not recognize this fact, and governs 

 himself accordingly. 



Thus it becomes apparent, and successful breeders read- 

 ily agree to it, that the man who expects to succeed, must 

 mate his hogs to secure the most desirable form, through 

 the use of the right sort of sires. 



In my conversation with the best breeders of my ac- 

 quaintance, they have very generally agreed that the most 

 profitable animals they have owned were the highest priced 

 ones. Remember I have specified best breeders, not promot- 

 ers and speculators. A good many men have paid very high 

 prices, and as we say, "been stung," but this has no ap- 

 plication in this discussion. 



In the purchase of breeding stock, and especially the 

 herd headers, it is a big mistake for one to buy animals 

 without previous inspection. If one will sit down and 

 figure out how far reaching the influence of a boar may be 

 felt in the generations, he may conclude that it will pay 



