Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-06-01
Inferior Blood in Breeding Cattle.

We have been trying to pick up a
few steers to Craze; have spent a
good deal of time, and have examin-
ed lots that were "bunched up," as
well as many small lots, two or three
in a place, to be found in the hands
Of breeders along our route. The
region travcrsed was fully equal to
the average of the Northern States
in the quality of its stock, and yet
we did not find one steer in ten that
was equal to half.bred in improved
blood; and, in consequence, the av:
erage of the stock we examined was
of less than one-haf the value OF
high-grade cattle of the same ages,
with reasonable good care.
To illustrate: AT one place we
were offered a lot of steers 1.-TWO
years of age) for thirty dollars each,
while at another farm we bargained
for two steers, sired by fine thor
ough-bred bull, one from common
COW, the other from a grade, at IS
per 100, weighing 1000 Tbs, or sos
each. One farmer had a lot of ten
steers; and one, sired by u thorough
bred bull he bought Of an Irish la
borer for $l.5O, at three days old,
was now of fine quality, weighing, at
three years, from 1900 to 1000 lbs,
and by far the best of the lot; and
yet this farmer, with an excellent
farm of over 200 acres, and plenty
of means, cannot afford to breed his
halfdozen COWS "a q thoroughbred
bull!
On almost every farm we found
young stock; and wherever it was
of the unimproved sort it was evil
dent that it was being reared at a
loss, while the grades OF all iages
were always in demand at paying
rates.
One farmer we heard had purchas-
ed a thoroughbred bull, and aston
ished his neighbors by charging S.
for his services. This they insisted
was atrocious, and would never pay
to common COWS. The farmer then
proposed to buy all their calves at
three months, at $40 a head, and
charge nothing for the service Of the
bull. The result was that he had
plenty of customers, but very few of
them were willing to sell their
calves.
Our readers know how often we
have insisted upon the Importance of
improvement of the stock in the pos
session or the mass of farmers of
moderate means. Most writers are
attracted by the results observed up
on large farms, and use in all their
illustrations the examples furnished
by the practice of wealthy men and
distinguished breeders, entirely over
looking the fact that the great mass
of our stock is grown upon small
farms, and by such breeders as we
have visited within the last few
days. This countless multitude of
small farmers underestimate the i'm
portance of their stock-breediug OPP
rations. Two or three calves, they
think, good or bad, will not amount
to much anyway, and therefore little
attention is paid to the blood Of man
agemcnt. But a few unthrifty, in.
ferior calves, and a few ill-bred pigs
and sheep will, if you take pains to
figure what they eat, be found to
consume all the profits of small
farm; while, if they are all Of the
best blood and quality, and properly
cared for, they will yield handsome
profit, and save you great deal of
hard labor that would be required to
make the same amount of money in
growing and marketing grain crops.
National livestock Journal.