The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-11-28
Pure Blood VS.. Common Stock.

Pure Blood VS.. Common Stock.
American Agriculturlst.
The question may well come home
to cattle breeders and owners all over
the country: "Will it pay me to- keep
common stock when l can buy full
blood at such slightly higher price?
The autumn sales haveaveraged very
low, and many who have been de-
TERED from selling. are very willing
to sell ut low prices at private sale.
Farmers, who have never kept full.
blooded stock, can hardly expect to
get high price for stock which they
may raise. They will think perhaps.
that 1t is because they are not in the
ring, or have not influence. That is
not the reason. High-priced stock
have reputation, which gives value
to their progeny. A few days ago,
an eight-months bull calf sold for
three thousand dollars, not because
OF his intrinsic value, hut on account
OF the reputation attached to his ped
igree, added to his own good quail.
ties. He is the son of the Jersey cow
Princess ID, a COW credited with hav.
ing made forty-six pounds, twelve
ounces Of butter in one week, and his
sire Is Black Prince of London, a
bull, combining more famous blood
elements than any other we know
OF, except his sons. Princess 81 is
dead, so there will be no more bull
calves OF that breeding. There may
be many just as good. 1t is no reason
why farmer should not secure a
good full. blood bull, because he can
not at once realize high prices for his
calves. If he knows they have merit,
that should satisfy him. Suppose in
Il herd of twenty fairly good cows we
Introduce good full. blnoded bull, at
a cost Of one hundred and fifty dol
lars, which will secure a very good
one. The twenty calves will prob
ably be half males, good for veal.
There will probably be a gain of fifty
cents to dollars head on even veal
calves, for half-blOOds always fatten
quicker and better than scrubs, and
generally grow larger. The ten he'll
ers will be marked after their sire,
will follow his dam in strictly femi-
mine points as rule, but will be in
fiuenced also by their own dams in
whatever may have been the line Of
their breeding. If the dams have
been kept, and so far as they have
been bred at all, have been raised
and Kept with reference to their good
ness as mich cows, this trait will be
increased in the daughters, so it is
fair to assume, that hardly less than
i've dollars each, or fifty dollars for
the ten head, should be added to the
value of the calves, and credited to
the bull. Fifty.five or sixty dollars
or more than one-third of the price
of the bull will be returned as clear
profit of his influence on the little
herd at the end OF the first year. This
is certainly an under estimate in
three cases out of four, as many know
to their profit.
The fact is, the benefit of well-bred
sires is so well understood by those
who give attention to the matter,
that it is wonder that the farmers
of this country, who should control
legislation in their interest, do not
put a prohibitory tax upon scrub
bulls, and upon grade bulls too, for
they are little, if any better. The
'effete monarchies" of Europe know
that the farmers interests are their
own profit, hence they do not allow
a bull to stand anywhere which has
not been examined and approved as
20 pedigree and form by competent
persons. Here, in this "enlightened"
country, we allow any man, who
thinks he can get fifty cents for each
service. keep any scrub he chooses.
and the creatures are even suffered
to run at large. We have known
such an animal to break out of his
own poorly fenced pasture, and do
absolutely irreparable damage in a
herd of thoroughbred heifers, worth
several hundred dollars apiece. Is
it too much to hope, that some of our
state legislatures will take the initia-
tive in this matter? In their own
pastures the lawmakers would not
hesitate to take the bull by the
horns"-will they not do it for the
- IKE of the farmers and cattle breed.
srs of the commonwealth?