108 SOUTHERN PORK PRODUCTION 



chief advantages to be derived b}^ the swine breeder from 

 the shov^r ring. Aside from the advertising which his 

 herd and animals receive, his reputation as a breeder is 

 at stake, as it were, and the show ring offers an oppor- 

 tunity which cannot well be ignored by one who wishes 

 to make his reputation as a breeder of the most approved 

 types. A reputation built on attainments in the show 

 ring is a lasting one if attained honestly. It has an 

 immense monetary value to the swine breeder if properly 

 utilized. 



Educational value of the show. — In addition to the 

 reputation and advertising to be gained by showing the 

 products of one's efforts at breeding, there are other 

 advantages to be derived. One's general store of knowl- 

 edge is added to along the line of swine breeding, be- 

 cause he cannot associate with other breeders without 

 absorbing valuable information from them. He sees 

 what others are doing, and he is thereby enabled to con- 

 duct his own operations more advantageously. This 

 educational feature of the show ring is one of the most 

 important; it lights the way, so to speak; standards are 

 set; friendly rivalries stimulate one to greater accom- 

 plishments, and one becomes educated as to what is 

 expected of a swine breeder and as to how best go about 

 the production of an ideal. 



Show ring standards. — The question sometimes arises 

 in the show ring as to where we are to go to secure our 

 standards in making awards. It is very obvious that 

 since we are producing something to meet the discrimi- 

 nating demands of the market, we should go there to 

 seek our standards. That has been one great difficulty 



