Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-08-31
PROGRESSIVE BREEDERS


Aheir success Due TO knowledge of tho
Special Character of Foods.
An old-style, conservative breeder
was heard TO remark to young man
just contemplating starting In the busi-
ness; 81 have no patience with the nom
Sense of some neophytcs in the breed
ing business, those who say you must
look to the system Of management in
raising the animals as well as to their
strain and purity of blood. They might
as well sny that it is what an animal
eats and not its blood that gives it
value. " And one, who hehrd the re.
mark, said afterwArd that this conscrva-
tive breeders cattle looked as If they
must be priced wholly for their blood,
MS they never would attract attention
for their symmetrical development.
There are few breeders who yet
think the entire merit of an animal
must be in its pedigree, but these are
rapidly growing. less, and the progress
to be noted is that intelligent breeders
are more carefully studying the most
important subject of allmentatlon. They
do not prize blood the less but they see
more clearly that the development Of
the animal, whatever its blood, depends
upon skill in feeding. In fact, unskill-
ful feeding will bring any strain of
blood into contempt. And 1t is certain
ly as augury of success when a young
breeder comprehends the necessity that
his skill In growing the young animal
shall be as complete as the strain Of
blood he is developing The import
ancc OF sklllful feeding has always been
most apparent in those who gave 1t
any attention Was the success of the
Collings wholly dependent on the strain
Of blood they bred? or, was il not rather
their skill in developing it in the most
symmetrical bovine form that gave the
strain Of blood celebrity? You might
as well say that 1t was the marble, and
not the immortal genius and skillful
hand of ProXitilcs, that wrought out tho
enchanting form of Aphcodite, OF the
marvellous form of Apollo, as to say that
IL was the strain of blood and not skill
ful feeding that gave these herds celeb
rity. An Indifferent feeder has never
owned herd that attracted attention.
II has never been the strain of blood
that first attracted attention, but the fine
development of the animals; yet after
the herd has attracted great attention,
then inquiry Is made as to tho strain of
blood. and then the pedigree comes in for
consideration. The strain
OF blood may possess great merit, and
in the hands of the skillful feeder ii un-
folds In great perfection of form, but in
hands Of the careless feeder it shows
no especial merit. Like good seed
grain, sown In poor soil. it develops
so imperfcctly as to lose Its reputation.
Progress in breeding, then, requires
a careful study of all the principles of
alimentation, since it is food and sur
roundings that develop the animal
form. Skillful feeding requires knowl-
edge of the special character of each
food, for this alone will show what COM
bination of foods is required to produce
a given result in developing the animal.
The animal is plastic In the hands OF
one who is master of the art of feeding
The better the blood tho greater its apti.
tude for developments And an animal
of the bcSt strain of blood may have
been greatly injured by want of proper
development OF its digestive capacity
and, although only six months old
would have very much less value, be
cause this unthrifty habit will take 1
long time to, and perhaps can never BE-
overcome. Thus we see that the pur
chaser is quite justified In taking Int,
fall consideration the development O
the animal as well as his strain of blood
-AdtioRai Lire Stock Journal.