The Concordia eagle. [volume] (Vidalia, La.) 1873-1890, 1884-12-13
Expectation and Exderience.


The beginner in stock breeding, es-
peclaiiy If young beginner land youth
is the best time to begin long under
taking), has a delightful prospect of
easy success. In the morning of his
career, or in the morning of life to most
men who have any steel in their compo-
sition, any energy and fitness. for their
calling, all is couleur dc rose. Like be-
gets like, they know, and they have
only to secure the right kind Of stock
and go ahead. With what different
thoughts does the breeder Of fifty years
standing look back upon his work. how
ever successful! The more successful.
the more difficult the task to accom-
plish. lie now knows the impediments.
pitfalls and stumbling blocks of the
journey, the disappointments of early
hopes, aud the more than compromising
joys of successful labor.
1t is impossible that any business
which is so much of an art as stock
breeding, which involves so much OF
science two do not miscatl the business
or art of stock breeding itself, "a
science'), should be so easy as the
beginner is ready to believe. II must
be iaboriously learned, and unless tho
breeder applies to the study of its
principles and details n competent
mind, with all the force of a strong and
resolute will, he may succeed in multi
plying animals, but he can not succeed
in extending the grand work of improve
ment. According TO his business indus.
try. and to circumstances beyond his
control which tend to regulate the
measure Of each mans success, he may
reap pccnniary profit, more or less, but
TO become really great breeder, he
must exercise higher powers than are
necessary for the management Of ordi-
nary business. He has to do with liv-
ing creatures, with organisms subject
to natural laws, which he cannot alter,
and in these very laws constantly
thwarting his aims, If, in ignorance or
otherwise, he leaves them out of his
reckoning, the means of improvement
are TO be found. The working of these
laws he must watch and follow and
assist. To become master breeder,
he must be the servant of Nature, he
must stoop to conquer. by patient and
intelligent observation, step by step,
not "by sudden flight he may become
an eminent breeder; but he will never
be so, in the true sense of eminence,
by theoretical learning alone, or by the
labor of other men; that is TO say, by
obtaining good stock without knowing
by practical lessons how TO use it-and
how not to use it. Failures are annoy
ing and often Encouraging, but they are
not always dead loss. The patient and
courageous worker may draw from them
lessons for his future guidance. The
highest success may be reached by the
wise ute of failures.
Volumes may be written upon the
principles OF breeding, the laws of Ma
ture and the details of the breeders
practice, and the volumes may be very
good and very useful in their way, but
after all is said or written. and heard or
read, the road to success must be found
out in practice by each man for himself.
Journals and books may set up service
able landmarks. to indicate the where
abouts of the path, but each traveller
must look to his own footing as he goes,
OF he runs the risk of finding himself
down a pitfall, or up to his chin in a
ouagmire. National Lice Stock Jour
nal