The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1879-02-28

Of al the COWS bred for dairy purposes
during the next ten years will have for
their dams common" or grade COWS.
Il care be taken In selecting these dams,
Il need not b regretted that they are
not pure bred. Among the so-called
sscommon" COWS In the dairy regions OF
the West are TO be found many which
are equals OF the average breed II COWS
in the world. when any collection Of
animals have the ability to uniformly
transmit their distinctive characteristic
70 they offspring, they may properly be
called breed. We value spure-bred"
animals because We have evidence that
they have been bred for successive gen.
CREATIONS 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 ~
''pure-bred," which possess, in good de-
gree, the final tests Of value and good
breeding -individuai 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 merritt No breed
Is perfect; none Is free from poor ami
mails. The ultimate test of the value
OF q breed or family il the
usefulness Cf the animals composing il.
Better breed from good COW with
good pedigree. The characteristics OF
the parents will much more probably be
transmitted than will the characters les
Of more remote ancestors. But the
value Of good COW. for breeding, is
very greatly increased II it be known
that she has inherited her qualities
through long line Of good ancestors.
Hence the second question should be-.
What Is her breedingP 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
great question is the breeding. There
are "signs" Of value, not arbitrary
ones but indications in form and 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 ut 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.
Rsnch summed up its /" advice to those
contemplating marriage" in the one
word, "dont." 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
80 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 q double chance for at
least small profit, as well As reduces
the chances Of loss. 1t will often pay
the dairyman to combine beef-cattle
rearing with dairy farming. Excep-
tional cases not counted, dairymen can
better AFFORD to rear their own stock than
TO buy them. DairymeR often 90 to
general farmers for their cows. 1t
would seem more natural thing for
dairymen to secure such reputation rs
breeders that general farmers and citi-
zens should look TO them for supply Of
e0wa