Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1899-03-16

/ ~ SAo u00tAu8 VI lAe kAAun1S osos~
Board of Agriculture. John A. Craig.
professor Of animal husbandry in Iowa
Agricultural College, delivered an ad-
dess on the sheep that breeders and
feeders should handle. In part he
said:
In judging of the good and bad
qualities In pure bred sheep In the
breeding classes. the subject of breed
type should receive careful consider
alton. While 1t has a bearing on the
judging of all classes of pure bred
stock, yet 1t Is OF double importance
IN the pure bred classes of sheep.
The type that has been Characters
tic OF each breed has arisen from va
riety OF causes. In all instances the
breeders skill in selecting and mating
has been controlling factor, while
other influences have more or less as
sisted. In some instances. the func-
tion OF the animal or the work ii is
called upon to do has had strong in
| fluence. This is evident In the instance
lof the running horse, the rotting
horse and the dairy COW, where the
form or the type has developed from
the function. In other instances the
environment has aided man IN his
work OF selection and this is notably
true OF sheep. The adaptability Of
sheep for different attitudes of land en-
ables us to divide them into lowland
breeds, upland or down breeds and
mountain breeds, and it is CONNECTED
with the subject of breed type, for the
environment of such lands develops the
type that does the best upon them. The
strong framed, and heavy producers OF
wool and mutton; the down breeds are
smaller. but rounder and more COM
pact, with fleece, frame and mutton OF
better quality. The mountain breeds
must have more vigor and agility than
these previously mentioned to earn
subsistence under roughsr conditions.
so that the possession Of rugged con-
stitution. active disposition, with
strong limbs and muscles are Of more
Importance than the other features
that are characteristic Of other types
Nan seeks to fix the type that he has
found characteristic Of the breeds, BY
Ing the features of the types desired,
and toward the production OF these
ideal types all breeders bend their en-
ergies.
The type Of breed having been de-
cided upon by all the breeders, 1t
should be the aim Of the breeders and
the judges to recognize 1t, for aside
from an acknowledgment OF the wishes
Of the breeders it is a point Of direct
| value to do so. When a breed has been
uniformly bred to type for q period
Of 20 years or so the type has become
so fixed that 1t Is uniformly transmit
ted. Two OF the most powerful fac
tors aiding the fixing Of the type Of
breed are the breeders seeking to pro-
duce the animal Of ideal type as repre-
sented by the scale Of points and the
judges conforming to 1t in the show
ring. The result Is Of value to the
breeding interests. as 1t assists In max
ing the breeds prepotent or able to
transmit their characteristics with
greater Cegree OF certainty.
| A swine Breeders Reputation.
Allen Park. In an address to swine
breeders, said: A breeders reputation
| is an important factor with his busi-
ness. In one sense Of the word it Is
the whole success of his business. On
the other hand breeders reputation
is the cause of the failure of his busi-
ness. For a breeder to have a reputa-
ton beyond reproach is one OF the
main pathways to success; for In this
| day and time whenever he has call
| for trade, whether it be from his news"
paper "ad.." his sale catalogue. his
friend or wha. not, the Ques-
ton is most invariably asked
| by almost every one who contemplates
buying and who hears of the breeder
that has what he wants: will it be
credit to me to buy from said breeder!
Can / improve by buying such? Or.
| in other words, what sort Of reputa-
tion has the breeder mentioned? Has
| he treated his customers heretofore
with a credit to them and himself as
well? If SO, l will trouble myself to
negotiate some with him. II not
will pass him by. And very often 1t
lis thought, il not spoken, that any one
buying not only wants to buy an in
diyidual in individuality and breeding
credit to him, but wants to buy from
some one that will also be credit to
him. For a breeders reputation to be
other than credit to him will most
lassuredly lead to failure Of his busi-
lnsss-that is, a failure to what it might
be had his reputation been otherwise
A breeder with such reputation may
prosper for a while, but, like murder,
will out. And he then wonders why
he does not prosper like he used to.
consequently he says there Is nothing
lin the hog business. Hogs are going
down." etc. The fact Is his lack OK
good reputation has caused him TO
fail in the business. 1t Is a fact that
[ have attended a sale where l sat upon