Sharp County record., 1879-03-27
FARM TOPICS.
Rrseding Dairy Stock.


4 nor read before the Northwestern Dairy
mems Association by Prof. Geo. +.
D Morrow of the Illinois Industrial Uni
| versity:
Except the man who manages her,
the cow is the most important element
, in dairy farming. The most casual OBJ
servation shows great differences IN COWS
differences in size, in color,in form, in
the quantity of food eaten, in the guam
tity of milk given, in its quality, etc.
Many COWS, even in good dairies, are
. kept at loss. They not only cause loss
in themselves, but each one is eating up
the profits that come from one or two
! GOOD COWS. These differences do not
result from chance. Breeding has its
laws. Wild animals are what they are
because of laws in breeding. Much
more are our farm animals. The first
. great law of breeding-one we all rec
0gnize as true--is that "like produces
Ike or the offspring resembles the
parent. This is the broad, general rule,
The calf is like its dam or sire, often
not only in outward character, but in in
ternal ones, or even acquired disposi-
tion. Sometimes the offspring does not
resemble the parent, but rather the
Grandparents, or some still more re-
mote ancestor. So, we add this to our
rule. We also find it rule that GER
tain qualities usually accompany GER
tain others-seem to be correlated.
Again, we find the law of compensa-
tiOns. If an animal is remarkably de-
yeloped in one direction, we do not ex-
pect it to be equally good in other d.
rections. Some characteristics are dl-
rectly opposed to each other, while 9th
ers may exist in the same animal. We
must, usually, make our choice between
an animal remarkably good in one dl-
rection and comparatively inferior in
some others, or one which is reasonably
good for several purposes, without won
derful excellence in any one direction.
We can secure variations from any an
cestral type by changing the "condi-
, tions of life," by changing the food and
care, and general mode of treatment.
1t must ever be borne in mind that at
tention to feeding and care generally
must 90 hand in hand with attention to
breeding.
In applying these principles to breed
ing dairy COWS, we must know what we
mean by such COW. All COWS give
milk, and so are dairy COWS in one sense.
There are at least three distinct types OF
COWS which may appropriately be call
ed dairy cows, as contrasted with beef
producing COWS: first, the COW which
gives very large flow of milk, without
much regard to its quality; second, the
COW which gives a reasonably large
quantity of milk, especially rich in fats
or butter; and, third, the cow which
gives large quantity of milk OF fair
Guality-the cheese COW. Each of these
types may be the "best" in a given set
of conditions. An ideal dairy COW would
be one which, with the accompanlments
of beauty, good disposition, and good
constitution, would give very large
quantity of milk of the desired quality
making the best possible use of the food
eaten, continuing large flow of milk
for eleven months of the year, year after
year to good old age, and then readily
fattening into choice beef animal. 1t
is impossible to reach this ideal fully,
but we may approach it. There are
MANY who will do best to make some
one quality, as quantity or richness OF
milk, the one great consideration but
the great mass of the COWS to be bred,
and those best for the average dairy
men, are those in which there is milk,
giving ability in good degree, united
to fair fitness for beef-production.
OF the various distinct breeds OF COWS
in this country, we may leave out Of
view, in considering the material at
hand from which to breed dairy COWS,
the Devon, the Galloway, and the Here
ford, as also the Texan. There are good
milk COWS in each of the breeds named,
but the Judgment of the dairy public is
that they are not dairy breeds, and OF
some we have so few in the country
that they can play no important part
in breeding for some time to come.
Among the recognized "dairy breeds"
we have the AYRSHIRE, the Holstein,
and Jersey as the type of the Channel,
Island cattle. The Ayrshire does not
grow in favor. With warm friends who
incline to the breed, it must be ad-
mitted that it has not reached the popu-
larity which was expected. The Hol-
stein is favorite, in some sections OF
the West especially. Undoubtedly
many of the COWS of the breed produce
very large quantities of milk: They are
not good beef-producers. The Jersey is
one Of the most popular breeds, and un.
questionably deserves the reputation of
giving unusually rich milk. | like tce
Jersey much, but l do not believe it is
the basis from which to breed dairy
COWS for the West. The most widely
known and by far the most common OF