Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1901-07-04
DAIRY PREPOTENCY.
POINTS TO CONSIDER IN THE sELEc-
TON OF BULLS.

Desirable Animals Usually Possess
High Tempers-Nork as u Factor
In Keeping Bulls Trnctable~Train-
ing on Tread Power.
This is a very important and difficult
question. The best judges feel, more
or less, that they are making q leap
into the dark, says Hoard's Dairyman.
The object, of course, is to buy the bull
that will make a sire of dairy COWS Of
large capacity. a. We want him to
possess a rich heredity of dairy per-
Torrance back of him. That we can
determine easily if records have been
kept of the productions of a long line
of mothers. (2) We want him to have
come from a long line of sires that
have exceiled in producing high record
cowS That, too, can be determined by
the records. (3) We want him to pos
sess individual merit as shown in his
conformity to we'll defined dairy points.
All that a be determined by thorough
examination by a good judge.
But, having settled the point of he
redity OF pedigree and individual con-
formation, which can be easily done,
how are we to know that he will breed
strongly and prepotently in the direc-
ton we wish him to? Here is the dark
place in the road.
Up to the publication of the new
scale of points by the American Guern-
sey Cattle club there had been no at
ence and judgment on this important
point in the judging of bulls at fairs
and in their selection as breeding ami
mails. The committee of the Guernsey
club who devised the new scale have
the following to say on this question Of
prepotency in their explanatory notes;
In the scale for bulls, for the first
time, we believe, in the history of
dairy breeds. this point is introduced.
The reason we have included it is that
prepotency is the chief consideration
in the selection of all male breeding
animals. The pedigree and conforma-
ton are often all that can be desired,
but because the bull is lacking in pre-
potent breeding power he is an ex-
pensive failure. This quality is, in a
sense, difficult to perceive or describe,
but we know certain animals have it
in high degree, and others fail of it.
completely. 1t is fairly well indicated
by vigor of appearance, resolute bear
ing and abundant energy. We
would distinguish this from an ugly
disposition.
A bull is ugly by the way he is han
died rather than by his breeding. What
we want is strong, impressive blood.
A dull, sluggish spirit and action we
consider indicative Of a lack of true
dairy prepotency.
Every breeder of dairy cattle uses
the word ''prepotency." He is looking
for prepotent bulls, but has he ever I'M
dertaken to determine what are the in
dications or outward signs Of this quail
fly?
The Guernsey committee have gone
farther in their effort to define this val
liable quality than any other source we
know of, but they cannot fully cover
the ground in so short a space. In our
opinion prepotency is a mental quality.
We can see 1t in. certain families of
men and horses very plainly. In al
most every instance that we have not
ed where an ancestor has impressed
powerfully his or her progeny, either
in good or bad qualities, such ancestor
has possessed a strong will and self
assertion-in other words, a strong dis
position to conquer. These character
istics indicate a large supply of nerv-
u energy, nerve power, etc. Such
animals can easily be made ugly if
they are handled unwisely. Therefore
we believe a desirable bull should pos
sess a high temper. 1t would be inter-
esting to search back and see whether
or not the great masters Of blood in
the various dairy breeds were bulls Of
high temper. We take it as q favorable
sign of prepotency in a bull, provided
there is good pedigree back of him, if
he shows a disposition to challenge the
authority that is over him, is active,
resolute and Of a strong, masterful dis
position. OF course such a bull needs
to be well and carefully handled.
Avoid conflict with him as much as
possible.
There is nothing better on earth to
make such a bull tractable than a
tread power, in which lie car be exer-
cised a couple of hours each day. Ev-
cry breeder of dairy cattle will do well
to make a bull furnish power to sep
arate the cream, and he should be
trained in this from the time he is a
yearling. Such training will add value
to the bull in the mind of every dis
corning purchaser.
Remedy For Scours.
A remedy for our given by Flint
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