Sharp County record., 1879-03-27

of all the cows bred for dairy purposes
during the next ten years will have for
their dams common or grade cows.
If care be taken in selecting these dams,
it need not be regretted that they are
not pure bred. Among the so-called
common" cows in the dairy regions OF
the West are to be found many which
are equals of the average breed OF COW.
in the world. When any collection OF
animals have the ability to uniformly
transmit their distinctive characteristics
to they offspring, they may properly be
called breed. We value "pure-bred"
animals because we have evidence that
they have been bred for successive gen.
erations with the same characteristics
in view. We value authentic pedigrees,
because these give us evidence on this
point, and we feel the more certain that
the character possessed will be trans
mitted. Intelligent, skillful breeders
among Western dairymen, by careful
selection and careful breeding, have
produced many COWS, not ranked as
''pure- bred" which possess in good de-
gree, the final tests of value and good
Observation-Disclosures merit, and ability
to transmit this to the offspring
Having decided what is wanted, the
next step will be the selection of the
COW from which to breed; and, wheth..
er of one of the improved breeds or OF
common stock, the first question is,
What is her individual meritP No breed
is perfect; none is free from poor AMI
mails. The ultimate test of the value
of a breed or a family is the
usefulness CT the animals composing it.
Better breed from good COW with a
good pedigree. The characteristics OF
the parents will much more probably be
transmitted than will the characteristics
of more remote ancestors. But the
value of a good COW, for breeding, is
very greatly increased if it be known
that she has inherited her qualities
through a long line of good ancestors.
Hence the second question should be,
What is her breeding? The selection OF
the sire is, ordinarily, even more i'm
portant Excellence or inferiority as
milk producers can be transmitted
through the male as well as through the
female, and, in most cases, the bull is
the sire of many calves, while the COW
produces but one annually. Here the
great question is the breeding. There
are "signs" " of value, not arbitrary
ones but indications in form aid minor
points which are usually associated with
good quality as dairy cows; but none
nor all of these are equally satisfactory
with the actual test at the pail and the
vat.
A plan of feeding which shall encour-
age growth without excess of fat; breed
ing the young female so she shall calve
before the disposition to lay on flesh
has been allowed too long time for
development; careful breeding and milk
ing during the first milking period, will
do very much to help the work begun
by careful selection of sire and dam.
No COW can give milk without the con-
sumption of food. 1t would be great
mistake to cultivate tendency to eat
little. That is the best COW which eats
most and makes the best use of the food
eaten.
Punch summed up its "advice to those
contemplating marriage" in the one
word, "don't." Many by their prac-
tice and their teaching sum up their ad-
vice to dairymen thinking of breeding
their own stock in the same word.
Purchasing has, in the past, fire.
quently paid better than breed
ing. But purchasing is not
so sure to secure good results as
is breeding. The tendency of relying on
purchasing, destroying the calves, and
at last selling the COWS, is to steadily
lower the average quality of the dairy
stock. In the future the average prof
its of the dairymen are not to be so
large as in the past, and breeding his
own stock gives double chance for at
least a small profit, as well as reduces
the chances of loss. 1t will often pay
the dairyman to combine beet-oattle
rearing with dairy farming. Excep-
tional cases not counted, dairymen can
better afford to rear their own stock than
to buy them. Dairymen often 60 to
general farmers for their COWS. 1t
would seem more natural thing for
dairymen to secure such a reputation as
breeders that general farmers and citi-
zens should look to them for supply of
COWS.
AT some of the recent receptiOns,