The Dickinson press., 1895-11-09
SOME FARM TOPICS.
uTDREsTING INFORMATION FOR
TILI.ERS OF THE SOIL.
DeeeAing for Batter-Preparation
Ter SeilinC-Digging q Vegetable
11t-A Weed Saving Device-FarH
Notes.

There's many q slip 'twixt the cup
and the lip, and many a miscue in
breeding up q dairy herd. Granting
the truth Of what has been taught az
to the value Of intelligent breeding, it
Is also true that the laws of heredity
do not overpower all other laws. The
most efficient rule in improving a
breed Of hogs Is the 'sled stake rule"
That is, use a stake on all pigs not
filling the requirements, and the 9TH
ers will all fill the requirements. In
q milder form this same rule sends to
the packing house all Of one class and
reserves al breeders the others. This
sorting out Is a positive necessity In
oil kinds Of farming, saving seed.
grain, raising hogs, growing q beef
herd or growing q dairy herd. Pro
zress is possible only by selection. The
rule that like produces like" is not
true when cut down to absolute limits.
IL 1t were progress would be impossi-
bic. Retrogression and progression
would both be unknown were the rule
Of 'slike produces like" absolute. We
could only average things by mixing,
and could not improve the breed nor
= e make a new one. But like pro-
duces like with a variation. Some
will be better than the parents, some
poorer. The sled stake rule will keep
the herd up to the highest excellence,
or selecting the best for keeping and
%liscarding all others.
Sometimes q man finds his dairy
actually inferior after breeding for
butter than it was before. He may
have MIXED a few excellent c0ws of
mixed ancestry and graded up with q
dairy sire. Some of the offspring may
be better than the mothers, some
poorer, and IL he keeps them all he
has an inferior herd; If he disposes OF
the inferior ones and keeps only the
best he should find the herd improv.
ing. This will be the result without
buying any improved blood. Selection
is the main thing, but the number that
must be discarded from q herd not
bred In dairy lines must be greater.
Therein and only there lies the ad-
vantage Of breeding for butter or for
any other purpose. The number that
must be rejected is lessened by breed
ing In the direction desired. Suppose
q farmer breeds to a Guernsey Or O
Jersey bull. The half-bloods will al
most surely please him. He goes on
grading up" and in some instances
finds the higher he grades the poorer
his herd as q whole. This Is discour-
aging, but IL a fact we should face it
honestly. Why may this be' 1t may
be for the following reason: In grad
Ing up the breeds from. oil of the half
bloods and a portion Of the offspring
lnclineS toward milk giving and a nor
ton away from 1t. The law of varia-
ton gets in its work and some Of the
higher grades are inferior to the lower
grades, and the farmer is slower to
sacrifice them. Hence his herd may,
40 Q whole, actually retrograde.
Selection stands first of all as q
means for securing a good dairy herd.
Raise many, save few, feed we'll and
success is d r But, as said before,
sired line and selection for many gen
erations in that line measurably fixes
traits and fewer individual animals
have to be MISUNDERSTANDING.