Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1885-03-06
THE RIVALRY OF BREEDS.
Advice to the Farmer Who Is About u
Replenish His Stock.

While marked at times with perhaps
more of personal feeling than seems
necessary, a generous rivalry between
the breeds is by all means to be encour-
aged. The discussions in which the
friends of each engage. in order to show
their favorites to be the best, attract
wide attention and do net fail to demon
stratc to the general falmer the SUI
per'ority of all Is compared with COM
mon and unimprovc;l stocks. He NAV
not he cxactl, satisfied with the arr,i-
mcnts advanced hy the friend, of Short
horns and H"r;for,ls. for instance, is to
which stock is tie ie,t. but he can
not fail to perceive. from what the
friends of each advance aai corce,Ic.
that either stock is Il vast i'll
provemert upon the ordhary ..o k he
has been handling. and ca. ul, OF a,,g
menting very largely III" ,r,';:s of the
farm. And 50, while d. spo,. Il s,il.e-
times to deplore the warmth wi. wi:'ch
the friends of one bred or the o;her
move to the attack or stand upon the
defense. we can not help bui feel that
the general cause Of 1--we stock improve
mcnt is all the time beng advanced
Men will disagree and dispute
about what is good and desirable.
but they hold no discussions over
those things which are poor and value
less; the fine gold is the subject for Their
emulation. while the droSs which flows
with it from the furnace receives no
thought. Whole communities may d-
vide in their opinions as to whether
Shorthorns or Herefords or other breeds
are the better. but no champions ap-
pear to maintain that common and un-
improved stock is the equal of anv.
And as its best is 50 far below the inn
proved sorts there is no discussion
among its owners as to whose is the
best and whose is the poorest So we
say let this generous rivalry continue.
Words spoken to advance the interests
of one breed advance the interests of
oil. and the effect upon the general
cause is good. If neither side can quite
succeed in convincing everybody that
they are just right, no mater. for be-
tween them they are convincing the
country that only the farmer and ranch
MAN who maintains unimproved stock
is entirely wrong.
Besides, it is quite evident that such
competition as this. and a constant com
parison of the merits of the respective
breeds. one with another on the range,
in the feeding lots, in the markets and
at the shows. must ST ,muate the
friends of each breed to hold their IA
vorites constantly to the highest stand
ard. There is an ever-present induce
mcat not only to work improvement
where that is possible. but to watch for
and correct the earliest tendencies to
deterioration. Breeders are compelled
to improve and correct heir methods
or lose place in the face of these rival
ries.
To the general farmer these discus
sions may at times appear perpleXing.
and some may feel uncertain as to what
particular breed To give their attention
to. But really there should be no hesi-
tation in the matter. If there is any
decided taste or preference. consult that
by all means in making selections. And
if that is absent. any one of the i'm
proved breeds will prove source of
immense satisfaction and profit. and
whichever one the farmer selects will
prove SO much more profitable than all
the other stocks with which he has to
do that likely he will be ready to MAIN
tain it is 1.-THE best on earth. ."-Breed-
cr's fu-.yTn