The Bemidji pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minn.) 1896-1917, 1901-08-22
DAIRY AND POULTRY.
INTERESTING CHAPTERS FOR OUR
RURAL READERS.
How Successful Farmers Operate This
Department. of the Farm "A Few
Hints as to the Care OF Live stock
and Poultry.
Does It PAY to SHOW :

Does It Pay to Show
There Is an army Of unsuccessful ex-
hibitors in the country and they are
ever ready to join in an argument Of
this sort Their lack of success is a
somewhat sore point with them and
they are not fond Of having people ex-
press their views on the strangeness of
their defeat when other men who have
not been. SO long in the business were
much more successful. But there are
several things to be considered in this
matter which are apt to escape the at
tention Of the men who are too hasty
in arriving at conclusions. For in
stance we have noticed with sorrow
that it is not always the man who
shows the best lot OF hogs that has the
best to sell every year at home. Meth
er is it the successful Snowman who
has always the largest, strongest lit
sters Of pigs in the pens at home nor
DO the filters he owns usually come
from the show soWs. II he would tell
us the inside story Of his show ex-
periences he would often have to re-
count how he secured the country for
several of the animals he exhibited
with such success and even when he
found them they were not all that he
could desire in point Of shape or some
other special particular. He would tell
us further that he brought out the
good points or patched up the deficient
ones by feeding that cannot be consid-
cred beneficient to the breeding quail
fcatlons Of the animal in question.
But then he would tell you If honest
that he did not buy the animal to
breed from SO much as he did for the
purpose Of showing. He fused and
fed and showed for the purpose Of ac-
curing a name and reputation Of hay-
ing swine Of the very finest type,
swine that had taken the largest num-
bers Of premiums at the fair. He
sought this name and reputation that
ne might sell large numbers Of pigs on
its strength and we can scarcely blame
him for the desire for prominence, pop
ularity and profit, nor can we criticise
severely the methods he pursued in
attaining the desired end. It is evident,
however, that while he gained in one
respect by showing hogs and the farm
ers OF the country were benefited by
his exhibits and the name and fame
Of his respective breed of hogs was
doomed by his work, he lost in an
other respect. 1t must be confessed,
that the exhibiting Of hogs too often
leads to overfeeding, while overlooking
leads to loss Of reproductive powers,
The winning OF premiums galore, Is,
too, apt to change Flooding careful
breeder into a professional Snowman
who seeks to buy and sell hogs on the
reputation he has acquired in the
arena. He would be Of more value to
the community II he would continue
his breeding operations with the OBJ
ject OF further improving his hogs and
the breed of swine he handles and 1t
is well II he seees 1t In this light and
makes It a point to show only the
hogs he has raised himself, seeks to
build up q, reputation by his own
work rather than by borrowing the
plumes of others and thereupon strut
ting before the community in splendnr
of other mems making. Exhibiting is
a praiseworthy business when the ex-
hibitor shows swine Of his own breed
ing each year along with the boar
which has been used but it is not all
that can be desired when it tempts a
man to ruin his breeding stock by
overlooking, or devote most of his time
to searching out and fitting show stock
for the purpose of making a reputation
upon the strength Of which to sell i'll
bred, ill-fed, pedigreed scrubs which
should have been castrated or fatted.
stock should never be made
the chief method Of advertising nor
the main aim of the years work. It.
should go hand in hand with the most
careful breeding methods having for
their aim the constant Improvement
of the stock on the farm and should
not induce any man to ruin his breed
ing animals by overlooking and lack OF
exercise. The names OF breeders
handed down to posterity will be of
those who built up herds systematical-
ly and perseveringly, showed stock OF
their own breeding and fed for profit
and health rather than appearance and
prizes.
Origin of Turkeys.
G. p. Thorne, in his poultry book,
says that naturalists at present rec.
ognize but two species Of wild turkeys