ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 191 



which we cannot fail to catch a glimpse of a wonderful Supreme 

 Being, a divine Creator, who shapes and puts life into every be- 

 ing. In the light of reality, it points to the source of our greatest 

 wealth, making it possible, both in the vegetable and the animal 

 kingdom to produce that which affords us sustenance, luxury and 

 life itself. I have not come to you, however, to deal with the 

 estehetical side of our subject, but rather hope to confine myself to 

 the most practical thoughts and ideas relating to breedes and the 

 breeding of dairy cows. This will not be eliminating the esthet- 

 ical altogether, however, for what is more beautiful than the dairy 

 cow, unless it is a herd of them ? 



With all that has been said and written regarding breeds and 

 with the number of pure-bred animals it is possible to see in the 

 country, it seems hardly necessary for us to spend any time dis- 

 cussing the breeds of dairy cattle. We are surprised, however, 

 as new classes of students enter our college each year and take up 

 the study of live stock, to find how small a per cent of them can 

 distinguish one breed or type of animals from another. Inquir- 

 ies which come to us through corrrespondence from older men, 

 also reveal the fact that much ignorance prevails as regards dis- 

 tinct breeds. It is a shame that so much gross ignorance prevails 

 among our American people relative to the breeds of live stock 

 which furnish us our greatest source of wealth. It is true that 

 this ignorance accounts for the large number of inferior, promis- 

 cuously-bred animals to be found in our country, and we cannot 

 hope for a rapid improvement in the condition of affairs until men 

 exert themselves and learn to appreciate and understand breeds 

 and the necessity for good breeding as well. Pat, the witty Irish- 

 man, when once asked what he would be if he were not an Irish- 

 man, replied: " Sure, man, and I'd be ashamed." The man who 

 is attempting to handle dairy cattle, or any other class of live stock 

 and who would breed anything other than good grade or pure- 

 bred animals about which he knew and could talk intelligently 

 concerning, ought to be ashamed ; ashamed to the extent that he 

 would hang his head in remorse before the cow to whom he had 

 permitted to be born a calf which had no distinct breeding. 



