The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-09-27
AMONG THE STOCK.


speed The last five years have recorded
more improvement than the ten years pre-
vious, without doubt, and the last fifteen
years more than the previous thirty. How
much OF all this progress is due the edu-
eating influence of agricultural fairs can
not be estimated, but no one who has
stood by the stock pens during any one
OF our successful fairs and witnessed the
constant HE OF farmers passing along no.
| ting the different animals, and heard the
| remarks made and the qestions asked con-
corning them, could fail to be impressed
with the fact that the seeds of progress
were being sown in ground that would
| yield many fold in after days. We counted
over 900 fairs advertised in one of our ex-
changes, last week, and the total number
to be held this year is perhaps twice that
many At every one of these fairs the best
stock available will be on exhibition, and
| tens of thousands of farmers will examine
| it, talk about it, compare it with their own,
and obtain information that they never
had before, in regard to the profit of keep
ing and rearing better stock. This process
has been going on since agricultural fairs
began to be held, and thousands who now
| take pride in their blooded cattle, sheep,
swine, ETC., and rear the best grades, can
date their determination to improve to
some fair where for the first time they had
the opportunity to see better animals and
compare them with their own.
The mission of the fairs is not ended
yet as educators of the people in these
matters The great mass of farmers have
not yet had their interest awakened in i'm
proved stock. Thousands go to the fairs
every year, pass along the stock pens and
stalls, look at the animals on exhibition,
but without interest enough to ask ques-
ton or make remark about them. If
approached on the subject, you find out.
perhaps, that they have always regarded
these results as beyond the reach of the
common farmer, only to be obtained at
great expense and at an actual loss. We
heard such views as these expressed no
longer ago than last fall, at one of our
most popular fairs. Here isl an opportu-
tunity for the breeder to work and do good.
1t is to his interest to disseminate informa
ton, and usually VIC find breeders to be
men of public spirit who do not require
the incentive of money profit, to induce
them to work for the interest of the coun-
try. They should not only be ready aud
willing to give information when asked,
but they should strive to enlist the interest
should be well fortified with ready infor-
nation and facts with regard to their SUI
periority and profit over common stock
Two years ago at fair we attended, one
breeder exhibited a thoroughbred Short
horn BULL of good family and individual
excellence, and with him, scrub cow
seven or eight years old. In adjoining
pens were grade cow five years old, the
progeny of this Grub cow by another
Shorthorn bull formerly owned by the
same breeder, and a heifer three years old,
the progeny of the grade cow by the bull
on exhibition. Every man who looked
upon this exhibition and heard the explain
ations of the owner, went away strongly
impressed with the fact that ''grading up"
would pay. The evidence was incontro-
vertible-it could be seen, and the eye is
the great medium of conveying facts to a
farmers mind. Seeing is believing"
Such an exhibition was of more practical
value than volumes of the best written
articles, without occular demonstration.
The managers of our fairs can do some
thing to advance the interests ofimproved
stock AT many fairs the exhibitors of
stock are forbidden to nail up cards or
posters on which their names are printed
or written, for fear of influencing the
judges. This is the most arrant nonsense!
The managers of such fairs conduct oper
ations on wrong basis. They imagine
that fairs are only places of competition,
and the only object is to award premiums.
They lose sight altogether of the great
end in view in the organization of these
annual exhibitions-the education of the
people and the advancement of the mate
rial interests of the country. How many
hundreds of times have we heard the ques-
| tons asked, at fairs where ''no cards" were
allowed, 'What kind of sheep are these?"
sFWho is the exhibitor" 'sWhat breed of
cattle is this?" ETC., etc. Sometimes an
answer would be elected, but more fire.
quently not, and scores would pass along
without receiving one particle of benefit
| from the exhibition. Instead of interdict-
| ing these things, the managers of our fairs
| should make it one of the conditions of
entry, that the name, age, breed, and
owners name and address should be
plainly posted on every stall and pen oc-
cupied. @
/ The examinations for awards should be
as public as possible, and we think the
awards, with the reasons for so making
/ them, should be announced in the pres.
ence of as abig crowd OF interested
spectators as could be got together. Then
the ribbons or cards should be placed, at
once, where they belong. We have FREE
quently spoken of this before. One great
| object of breeders in attending fairs with
their stock, is to advertise, and every ia
cility should be afforded them to do this
For this reason, we think, the awards
i should be all made just as soon as possi-
bic to get committees to pass on them
i this is, if the committees. are competent;
i finconpetent, the longer it is postponed
] the better, and better still, not at ALL 3t.i 6
1 We could make many other suggestions
/ to managers and committee men, but our
1 snace warns us to cease. Ourobject is to