The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-10-03
Value of Improved Stock
WHAT ARE FANCY PRICES ?

Col. G. l.. Warning, careful breeder
of Jersey cattle, writes as follows or the
above subject, in a recent number of the
American Agriculturist
Will you Mr.. Editor, excuse me if |
kick out Of the traces little, and protest
mildly against the tone of your article in
the July number, entitled allow to Get
Thoroughbred Stock ?" What l object
to is rather your omission than your direct
expression. Your correspondent COM
plains that when he wrote to known
breeders for the price of bull, he was
charged higher price than he could af-
ford to pay (s400 or S500) l do not
think you do full justice to the breeders
in your reply. Those who are known to
be firstrate breeders of Short-Horns are
few. They have paid thousands for their
foundation stock, where they ask hun
dreds for the choicest progeny they have
taken enormous risks, and they have but
a limited market. The price that com.
mon farmers, with limited capital, think
they can afford to pay, would not rcmun-
crate them, and no one has right to get
vexed that they should ask all they think
their stock will command. never knew
a breeder of thoroughbred stock to make
large fortune, and this fact alone shows
that what you call Clancy" prices are
none too high, in view of the capital in
vested and the hazard incurred. Then
again, what do we mean by fancy prices p
If the S400 to which your correspondent
objects, is fancy, why is not the 5000
that you suggest? 1t is more than the
value Of an equal wei ght of common
stock, and if the surplus is fancy in one
case it must be In another Where shall
we draw the line? There is one safe rule
for us all to follow that is, for each party
to negotiation to fix his own standard
of value. If Mr.. Smith objects to pay.
ing $500 for calf, Mr.. Jones has no
right to compel him to pay it, or to get
angry because he will not. On the other
hand, if Mr.. Jones will not sell his calf
for less than $500, Mr.. Smith has no
right to grumble thereat Each is a free
agent the one has right to ask, and the
other to pay just what he pleases if they
do not agree, they need not trade-that
is the whole story. For my part, l do
not believe at all in the idea of fancy
prices | stand ready to pay for just
such Jersey bull as want (if he exists
which is doubtful several times $500
but | should not be, in any scpsc, paying
a fancy price. Fancy would have nothing
to do with it. 1t would be d purely busi-
ness transaction, and | should be actuated
solely by desire to add to the value
mot for sale only, but for the purposes Of
my buttery,) Of every calf that will hence
forth be born on the farm.
There is no end to the influence of q
good influence of good bull every call
he gets carries the impress of his quality
in its own person, and transmits it through
countless generations Suppose were
to pay $4,000 for bull, and should use
him for four years on all my thirty COWS
and heifers, and on all their female prog
eny. With only ordinary luck, would
have in all about $50 calves by him. each
one of which would cost about $50 more
than if from a $500 bull And this i,
only the beginning; ! should have laid
foundation for future improvement that
: by judicious selection | could keep W
indefinitely, and if had succeed in ad
ding on the average five per cent. to thu
dairy value of every calf that would evel
be born to any descendant of my presen
herd, | should have attained result o
priceless value. OF course would be
fool to pay $4,000 for bull no bette
than l could get for $500, but if l really
had chance to buy the very best bull
in existence, l would be fool not to bu,
him at any price | could possibly affort
to pay, providing | could uot get him 70
less.
The bull is the keynote of the Who'll
] tune. If you intend to breed thorough
breds 60 the full length Of your tether
if you must to get the very best. If yo
only mean to raise butchers meat, get
!, thoroughbred Of good quality, and at
r price you can afford to pay. The bette
S he is, the better for you, but do nc
5 growl because you cannot buy the bes
f at half price. | am a breeder of tn
. kind Of stock you would call fancy,
D but | never bought an animal with an
: other motive than desire to make mon
ey by it, and though have both pal
a and received high prices for my animals
/ | think their actual value as progenitor
r of future herds, if rightly estimated b
I. butter-makiDg capacity alone, would i
:, every case exceed the price. There
>. no fancy" in 225 pounds of good butte
C in year from small COW.