The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-07-03

meaning. That is, that by degrees, by steps,
irhether up doci progress is made, object
aimed at is accomplished. 1t also conveys an idea
of time, for whether the steps fast gradual it
takes time to reach the goal desired We may reach
higher lower grade just the railroad aims to
do, the grade is not always up, it may be down
grade, just the man who scrub bull on his
stock will surely pursue down grade.
The term crossing is also often applied. Cross
is from the Latin 'crux' the emblem of christianity
AS applied to cattle to breed by the union
Of different races. Thus while it has peculiar
Specification, the terms crossing and grading, may
be used INTERCHANGEABLE without violating much
propriety OF expression. For while grading up or
down, may be accomplished by bringing the good
and the bad together of the same breed it is usually
considered it is done thus for the purpose of i'm
| pForinga breed, Of which the short-horn may be
cited as brilliant specimen, yet on the other hand
crossing of breed upon another is usually done
to grade the breed up to the higher grade of the
| other, or to form another breed. This has been
done notably in sheep, swine, boyines, dogs, poul
try, &c, and with great advantage and new breeds
have been created. Where it has been attempted
to create new races or species such attemps have
signally failed, only certain points having been
reached, and perpetuation Of such have not been
successful, as the mule for a familiar instance.
These new breeds where carefully improved from
the low grade of the first cross for long succession
of years. until perfection has been nearly attained
become so fixed in habit, and certain points that
they able to hand down those fixed Characters
! ties and to engraft them upon an inferior stock.
The result of such union is up and down grade, the
superior has been reduced from its higher level,
and the inferior has been raised from its lower
/ level, and still the result is "a grade Now that
| grade is better fitted to be advanced to higher
grade than is its inferior parent because that grade
has to certain extent got imbued with portion
of the strong points of the breed Of fixed type, and
these points, or notifications of the inferior animal
better prepared TO receive an accession of SINH
lar good points, because like assimilates to like
and there is less resistance from inferior points
which have already been partly overcome. And
this gives us two cogent reasons why only the best
should be used of the superior breed;-lst because
the better that is to say the more potent or more
fixed in type the superior is the more power will
it have to overcome the points of the inferior and
md having more good points than usual, and
| meeting with less resistance, it will the more
readily and the more permanently fix larger
number of good points.
This again leads us to another point of the argu-
ment, that we shall meet with more and a reader
success where we cross two breeds having the
greatest number of similar points, or Characters
tics. For instance, if take the socalled native,
which owes so much, generally, OF its creation to
the Durham, and cross upon it pure short-horn OF
pronounced milk-strain of that breed, the result
would most probably be a very superior mixer in
creasimg the yield over that of its dam perhaps So
to 50 per cent at least after two crosses So
also using Friesian bull from pronounced large
yielders upon pure short-horn of one of the milk
ing strains one may readily expect large mixer.
For in both the supposed cases above, it would be
bringing together again animals of original type
after many out-erosses and they would assimilate
together as meeting with less tendencies to opposi
ton from varying types.
But cross the little Jersey upon the Friesian, and
the result would be not an increase yield of milk
bat the Friesan size would be reduced while the
milk would be more enriched but reduced in guam
tity And yet this milk would not be enriched as
much as would that be of the Ayrshire if crossed by
the jersey because the Ayrshire already has or had
Jersey blood in her. Thus there would be less OPP
position of elements in the latter than i'll the
former and all the less so if the Jersey was of most
| pronounced type of richness. For it cannot be
gainsayed that the normal condition of some ami
mails is much more inclined to throwing off fat as
buty raeeous particles than Others. This may be
proven by taking half dozen animals standing in
adjoining stalls feeding them all alike and testing
separately their butter yields. Then upon given
day commence feeding all of them fit-producing
foods, and continue that for Il month, then test
| their yields 1t will be found that some make
ample returns for the extra buttcr-prOducing food
others will very moderately increase the amount,
while others will vary their normal condition not
at all, not in proportion to the increased feed
This proves that unless the normal condition is
capable of converting the food into fatty substances
it is not profitable to feed beyond a certain amount
| oil leu MARY
Of St. L. consumed fifty quarts of feed, whether she
proftably consumed all over 50 quarts, or whether
she could have probably converted 60 quarts, is
not known, and would depend entirely upon what
her normal capabilities were.
The usual mode of breeding grades is to get a
bull of the breed which we want represented in our
herd This is not, as many suppose because the
bull is the most potent factor, or that he contrib
utes more to the calves than the mother. The
share of the bull upon the foetus is about the same
perhaps varied only by one being more lusty at the
time of conception than the other. But we use the
bull of the breed desired because the herd is OF
varied parentage, and one bull does for many. II
is important then that the bull should be well
formed so that he will get shapely calves vigorous
that he viii be potent enough to impress his get
and pure bred so that he shall inherit the traits dis
tinctive of the breed For if himself grade one
can rely upon his product for the principle Of
atavism is so strong that hidden traits or faults
that may have lain dorment for several generations
may crop out and do harm. So with this danger
that the weak side may show inherited from a
mongrel ancestry on one side it is not safe to breed
from grade bull Let the rule always be to get a
pure bred animal, and as good the breader's
means will allow. There is no excuse at the pres
ent day for any breeder doing otherwise, the OPP
portunities frequent for the pure bred as cheap
as those of unknown paren tage can be had.
The very best bulls can be had for small a sum,
no one need breed from poor bull. At any rate
for fifty dollars there can be had the best of all
breeds for making grades of high character from
natives, mean the Guernsey.
have no patience with any one who tells me he
can't afford pure bred bull, when know the facts
are otherwise Frequently bull calves can be had
from $40 upwards yearlings from $40 upwards.
And it is incomprehensible why farmers will pass
by such animals and go to the village sale and pay
SIS to $40 for a scrub of unknown parentage Even
if they want to sell the calves at few weeks old,
good Guernsey grade will or should bring better
price than one of common stock, for the veal Will
| be fatter and more tender, and grows as fast.
Perhaps there is no living proof greater than the
general purpose COW, of the vanity and emptiness
of ordinary breeding Here is an animal that
drags along her existence, giving moderate yield
of milk and a smaller proportion of butter, eating
her fullest share of the feed that is going, taking
care of herself more than of the master all which
peases his eye, for inwardly he has his mind upon
one main object that she will readily fatten and
sell well for beef eventually Finally he decides it
| is time to sell her and he has to accept bologna
price or the price of old COW beef The COW of the
Channel Islands breeds has all along been far
more than paying her way, making great deal
more butter on less feed each year of her life, and
when she is butchered the farmer finds fatter,
more Juicy and tender animal than he had any con-
cepton of. Because she kept thin while she was
doing so much work has been no proof that when
you have succeeded in drying her of, her extraor-
binary richness is not being absorbed by herself in
hasty product of beef Better yea far better could
the farmer bury her instead of eating her. and she
| would yet have been the more profitable one than
the one that has been kept because she could sell
for beef the rich COW had earned far than the
cost of her beyond what the general purpose
| cow will bring.
There are many theories about breeding, and
many facts seem to often warrant them, and yet
also the exceptions are so numerous that the theo-
ries dissipate into thin air. But long course of
careful observations have generated certain princi
! pies which it is as well to bear in mind.
If the sire mainly gives the shape and conhgura-
! tion and forms the outward frame, and also where
he is from strongly marked race in color like the
1 IL a.. Il