Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-09-20
PLAIN WoRDs TO BREEDERS oF SHORT
T. A.. HORNS. .qt5o.stif.

ed silentupon some important matters con
nected with the successful management OF
Shoithorns, possibly for fear some one
would feel agrived by plain words. Duty
to the public should be paramount to every
other consideration, and from this stand
point oflighest duty we want to talk to our
friends. f.. .,0 LII M
In the first place the pedigree mania has
about run its race, and is SO nearly dead
that we trust this year will be the end OF it.
| We do not mean to make any, assault upon
the value of pedigrees, nor would We de-
tract in the least from the Importance OF Il
first-clnss pedigree, which is nothing more
than the history Of Il Well-cstabllsled faml-
ly composed of individuals of excellence.
What we mean by pedigree mania is, the
willingness on the part Of q, purchaser to
take an inferior animal with an extra pedi-
gree, rather than an extra animal with All
inferior pedigree. What is q pedigree worth,
except, as q guaranty that every animal OF
merit, and therefore tie offspring of,the an
imal you propose to purchase viii be uni
form in type and value? But the inlnedi-
ate parent cxcrts far more influence over
the offspring than the remote. hence by. far
the most important individual in the line OF
ancestry is the pare9t. If that be an infe-
rior anilAal, then the whole, pedigree Is vi
tiated and it proves nothing. Ifyoli still aft
firm that the ancestry were superior, but
this individual was at exceptions then YOU
virtually assume that this is a detective ami
mail. and hence should go for beet. gqIt may
be inferior from hidden disease, or from
insufficient food in its calf life.a In the form
or case it is unsound, and should not be
used as a breeder; the latter is 4 ciise:of in
ferior or insufficient aliment till it has effect-
ed the development Oft the misunderstanding
cases the digestive organs are permanently
impaired, or t%lley.have not ! cen developed
to possess the power they should. In no III
stance, then, should an inferior animal be
used as a breeder. Shortlorns are 80 val
uable, that everything is being used for
breeding purposes, which does more to in
jure the business with the better class OF
farmers, than any other thing. ATTEND the
sales and occasionally you will be at one
where the proprietor was unfortunate in.
his hepdsnlan, or was himself no manageri:
a calf is led i'll the ring that in merit is not
worth over FIVE dollars. but it has a good
| pedigree, and sells for five hundred, Il Then
the farmer says, s. there Is something about
this that | do not understands WedWere
present at a sale this spring. and sat just III
front Of two gentlemen very We'll known in
Iowa, one a large, farmer and the other Il
lawyer. An inferior calf was led in. ',Tke
farmer remarked, "that calf IS not. NORTH
ten dollars" But it had q good peidigaree,,
and sold for $3.50. ~
"Ah!" says the lawyer, ''that shows we
do not know anything about this business
1T shows quickly replied the farmer.
g that the fools themselves do not know
anything about,it." ra., sslr,4
The point to be iaade is this--we cannot
afford such criticism. The great breeders
of England made their reputation by breed
ing and showing animals, in every way SUI
perior to anything that could be produced
by any other nam from any other breed. It
is true that sometimes an animal byees so
entirely after his ancestry that he bellies
himeelf, Such All animal is an exception.
and should not be sold. Our position is.
this: An inferior Shorthorn sioald never
be sold. III breeds better than it looks, it
should be Kept as breeder, and if it does
not breed atd better than it looks las is gem