SELECTION, CAEE AND MANAGEMENT 547 



place without the right kind of bloodlines to build 

 upon. Why have purebreds and pedigrees, unless we 

 give preference to those families that have been pro- 

 ducing the desirable kind? When I first started in 

 the business I bred my grade mares to the best sires 

 available at a cost of $25 or $30 for the service fee. 

 My neighbors thought I was crazy, but they soon 

 saw the error of their ways. 



"Frequently one hears it said, 'I want a stallion or 

 a mare, but I will not buy anything but a prize- 

 winner.' No greater mistake was ever made. Of 

 course it is a fine advertisement to have a champion 

 in the stud, but not all champions produce cham- 

 pions, by a long way. Many outstanding individuals 

 come from the common ranks. Always select the 

 very best breeding stock available ; but that does not 

 mean that one should purchase a prizewinner and 

 turn down one that is not. Many show animals are 

 ruined as producers and many equally good individ- 

 uals never see the tanbark. I have made a great 

 many mistakes since I first began, but believe that 

 I have made fewer in selecting my breeding stock 

 than in other ways, because I have given bloodlines 

 and individuality first importance and price only sec- 

 ond concern. 



"In my early experiences at selling Percherons I 

 never permitted a man to go away if he really want- 

 ed to buy and would offer me anything like a reason- 

 able price. Here is where so many of our small 

 breeders make a serious mistake. They ask such un- 

 reasonable prices that a dealer can not buy. The 

 small breeder is not well enough known to sell at 

 retail and often holds his stock long enough past 

 the right selling time so that the feed bill eats up 

 all the profit. Whenever an animal is looking at 

 its best and one wants to sell it, then is the time to 



