Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-11-08
Improve Your Stock.
Practical Farm or.


down the stock. Care will do the
one; neglect will cause the other. BY
a long course Of neglect the scrub
COW and the razor back pig have
been evolved from the original inn
ported stock, which was doubtless
the best that could be procured. Ex-
posture, poor feeding and promiscuous
breeding have run down what is
known as the native stock until 1t has
become improbable to the owners.
One of the greatest drawbacks to
profitable agriculture is the poor
stock which consumes as much food
entails as much labor and expense in
the keeping and yields no more than
one-third the income Of the better
stock. 1t is easy for one to say keep
only pure bred stock but it is an
i'm p o ssible thing to be
done. There are not enough
to 60 around the farmers of one
State even if they were equally dis
tributed, and the scarcity of them
makes them too costly for common
use. What is to be done then? Do
the best with what you have. Breed
only from the best females and if a
pure-bred sire cannot be procured
any other way, the use of one should
be hired. There are many writers on
this subject who try to encourage
their readers by enlarging upon the
absolute necessity for the employ
ment of pure and costly stock as the
only way to improve the common
stock, and yet they know it is impos-
sible to be done. Such irrational adj
vice is supplemented by the state
ment that the native stock cannot re-
generate itself. Were this true the
case would be hopeless and their adj
vice would be not only futile but eX'
asperating. Fortunately this advice
is not justified by facts. Our native
stock can be improved within itseli
by the use Of the right means. And
the right way is to reverse the pro
cess by which the stock has been de
generated.
First, the best selection should bt
made from what now exists for breed
ing. The young animals should bC
well fed, well treated and well shell
tered. Food makes growth, anC
every generation Of well>fed animals
becomes better. In few years thu
relationship of the well.cared-fo
stock would not be recognized. Tn,
} fact is proved every day by the re
suits of common practice. A gooC
half-bred bull or boar, or ram, is bet
ter than the original poor blood
And wherever it is practicable pur
sire should be procured, if only t
get the stock. 1t is a maxim wit
breeders that pure bred blood is NOR
potent than the cold native blood. ]
: this is true-and it is-half of it mus
! be better than none. Therefore W
should be misled by the irrations
, and impracticable advice to discar
= the native stock and keep only pur
+ bred animals. TO do the best wit
f what we have is the most that can b
S done, and unfortunately it is effectiv
e as far as it goes, and the impetu
= given at the start is doubled at tn
9 next effort, and so on until in fey
: years patience and persistence wi
# be rewarded by a very satisfactOr
Il improvement in the herd.
The result of continued good fec
l. ing becomes constitutional and fixeC
e The cows udder is soon changed an
:, acquires new and fixed habit b
d persistence in feeding, and her ca
l. partakes Of the changed character.
e is true that some animals are mo-
e susceptible of such changes tina
q others, and this is a good reason VIII
v these animals should be chosen fl
t, the breeding. "Breed first and the
If feed" may be the motto of those wi
n are able to start in that line; but Fl
is others the motto may be "feed fir
h and then Breed" and in time resul
Q will not be far apart.
a Gen. James Longstreet-We a