Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-01-01
Breeding Cows for Butter.

We say, when we speak OF nelier
by an Aderney bull and dropped by
common COW, ''she is half Alderny.'
This word "half,; does not by any
means indicate the measure of Alder
ney characteristics which the heller
possesses. We might with greater
propriety say ''she IS half. Alderney
by blood and seven-sights by nature.
Some well-bred bulls will impress the
characteristics of their own breed SO
remarkably that many of their Off
spring might pass as pure bloods;
Others possess this quality, which is
called prepotency, SO slightly that
their offspring take after their race
slightly. Such bulls, though perhaps
we'll bred, are valueless but they are
very rare among full bloods OF any
breed. Among the grades of any
breed, and among cross.breds of any
dissimilar breeds, bulls lacking this
invaluble quality ofprepotency. ARE the
rule rather than the exception. Now
and. then gradebull willget very good
calves and considerable uniformity.
Very fne-looking grade bulls are COM
mon, and it is hard to convince COM
mon farmers that they are not just as
good for use as pure breeds, which per
haps, do not look so well, The diff
ference in the herds of two breeders,
one of which uses pure bred bulls,
the other scrubs or grades, Is always
most obvious; but y farmers will
continu to use scrubs and grade bulls,
and by so doing the unreasoning ones
will give to the Others great advan-
tages.
Those who select bulls for beef
points well raise the best steers
Those who wish to make milk will
breed from bulls of the great milk
ing breeds; and in butter sections it
is equally important to use only bulls
of the best butter breeds, the Jersey
and Guernseys standing pre>eminent.
But among Guernseys and Jerseys
herds we do not find all the cows
good butter m akers, while among
those which are really good there is
an enormous disparity.
1t is a good cow which gives ten
pounds of butter week. There are
many which give twelve quite num-
Der which yield fourteen q very few
sixteen, eighteen, or even twenty.
Now, these are not, go to speak, spora
die or isolated cases, but more or less
IN families that is we find that
number of good cows will generally
be found in the progeny Of one
famous one.
What we want is TO be able to
breed great butter-yielders every
lime. This might occur occasionally,
Or often, when the progeny of one
great butter COW is rather closely in
bred, but with very much greater pro-
Oability when the blood of different
families, each famous for its butter
yield, is combined. In each there is
.'prepotency for butter production,
md as the families are not akin. we
'eally combine the two. and if each
is equal to the other, then
We have double force, whereas in
breeding in one family we have only
he single force, no matter how its
PARTS are combined.
This, then, seems to be the rule for
breeding prodIgies of any kind: :
First, discover or establish in two fam
lies the particular prepotency-that
8, the quality which produces SINH
ar characteristics, say great yield
If butter, in many or all the indiyid-
lals of family; second combine
,hese two families. 1t is, of course
question whether the tendency will
to double in power. If not
,hen we must continue to combine
5he excellences-that is, the prepoten-
,ies-of two families, just as we
breed grades now.-American Dairy
man