The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1883-10-13
Breeds From American Crosses,

Under the above heading, the Breed
erS' Gazette takes n position that it
seems to us is the right one regarding
the breeding of animals in this country.
While it recognizes the good qualities
possessed by imported animals, it does
not ignore real merit in those which gre
now native to our own soil and china tie.
II admits that "what we call the COM
mon or native stock, especially of horses
and cattle, in many sections have az
quired remarkable fitness for their en-
vironment, There are many scrub
common horses and COWS in this cour-
try, but there are also many excellent,
hardy, intelligent, every way useful an.
imals without any claim to belong to
any of the recognized imported breeds
This is notably true of the general pup.
pose horse and the COW suited for thoss
farmers who wish to give large but not
exclusive attention to dairying.
Naturally, there is much crossing OF
these animals with pure breeds. 1t is
quite in the possibilities that intelligent
effort might produce an Improvement of
these common stock animals which
would give a given locality variety
really better than any of the now recog-
nized breeds" This is exactly the
ground that the New England Farmer
has taken. We believe it is safe to as
sert that not more than one in five or
ten ordinary farmers have had sufficient
training and experience to enable them
to take any one of the high-priced pure
breeds, and make success of the bust
ness of breeding and selling stock.
Even among those wealthy fanciers,
who are not compelled to get their
money back in order to pay their debts,
it is doubtful if one in four could show
q satisfactory balance sheet in their
business.
There is large element of risk in
breeding animals, all the way from a
common chicken up to Maud S. colt.
There are a great many more blanks
than prizes. But it is d perfectly legiti-
mate business, one that is open to all,
and not without reasonable hope, pro-
yided one does not wade in too deeply
before learning to swim. There are
very few herds of COWS in the country
that are nearly SO perfect that it would
not be desirable to improve them. Most
herds might ,besimproved by the use of
better males, and the improved breeds
are now SO widely disseminated through
the country that it does not require a
very si1eayy outlay. nor any excessive
risk to procure a better bull than the
average native stock commonly pro
duces, A good bull calf week or two
old, from almost any of the choice pop
ular breeds, can be purchased for an
average price not exceeding twenty-five
dollars. A great many bull calves from
very excellent pure bred cows, are given
away every year or sold to the butchers
for veal. Better ones in some hands
might be cheaper at fifty dollars, but
even these cheaper ones, which are sold
or given away because their owners
have no use for them, would improve.
many of our common herds, while the
risk would be no greater. than from the
use of the most oompaon sofa dfainary
stock, We would have every. iarnigr
breed from the best ANNA 4 he has, and
use ahe bestinales he can Afford 70 pro-
cure. but we can, not join ihthe. advice
given by some writers, TO discard all of
our native animals as being entirely I'M
worthy of nse.--Ne,o ERQlasld Former