The Iola register., 1901-05-03
FLOCKS AND HERDS.
HOW THEY MAY BE GRADED UP AT
MINIMUM EXPENSE.

Breed Best Females to Pure Bred
MaIes-Continue the Process to the
Extent of InbreedinE-VaIue of
slSillfuI Feeding.
1t Is often easy for the farmer who
has not abundant means to purchase
pufe bred stock for his flock and herds
TO improve them by taking the best
females he has as n foundation and
breeding them to pure bred males of
the type desired, thus getting half
bloods from the first cross and three
quarters at the next mating, continu-
ing in each generation to reach nearer
to the pure breed, says The American
Cultivator
If he wants cows of greater milking
capacity, let him try the Holstein or
the Ayrshire, the latter being better
adapted than the Holstein to scanty
hillside pastures, where there would
not be enough to fill the capacious
paunch and noble udders of tbs larger
breed.
For those who want milk richer in
butter fat there are the Jersey and
the Guernsey, in which the first nam
ed has the advantage of being more
abundant and therefore cheaper in this
country. A cross of these upon good
grade or native COW, as some call those
that have so many different strains Of
blood In them that one does not know
how to class them, seldom fails to
bring n COW that will have the good
qualities of her mother and the butter
making ability of the breed to which
the bull belongs.
The same may be said for the beef
breeds, Hereford, Shorthorn or Angus.
They have been bred for that one pur-
pose so many generations that their
offsprings will inherit the tendency to
put on flesh and to put it where most
needed, as the child of the African will
inherit dark skin.
This Is by no means confined to the
cattle alone. but the principle holds
good in sheep, swine or poultry. The
pure bred male stamps the type of his
ancestors upon his get and all the
more plainly when the mother is not of
strongly antagonistic type, but is a
combination of many breeds.
Two things, however, are necessary
to success in doing this. The first is
absolute purity of blood on the part Of
the sire, and the other that he is in
good health and n vigorous condition.
This gives the prepotency to fix the
type and intensity it. Do not think
that by using n half or three-quarters
pure blood male that there will be at
least half or three-quarters as much
improvement as If he was pure bred,
for this is by no means sure. In prac-
tical tests 1t has often been found that
the result from using half blood WIS
to get poorer animal than the mother.
Having once decided what type to
breed to. continue 1t even If necessary
to use the sire upon his daughters and
granddaughters. This has been done,
and where both animals were as nearly
perfect as they could be 1t has brought
about more rapid improvement than
using another animal of the same
breed. 1t was thus that the great herds
of Shorthorns were built up by that IA
nous breeder who has scarcely been
equaled since his day, Bates, the found
err of the Duchess family Thus, too have
some of our best breeds of other ami
mails and fowls been created or brought
to their present high standard. But
when defect in the sire begins to re-
appear in the offspring, 1t is time to
look for another of the same breed
lacking that defect.
But having secured the Improvement
In the young it must be retained by
constant care to feed for the results de-
sired as we'll as to have bred for 1t.
The dairy COW should not while COM
ing to maturity be so fed rs to fatten
her. Give her enough, but of such
character as to promote growth, to
make frame and muscle instead of fat.
The COW Of the beef breed should have
her frame we'll built up, but she should
be so fed as to keep up good growth
Mt those points which make the beef
animal valuable at the block. a skillful
breeder should be n skillful feeder
The sheep breeder should decide If
he wants mutton sheep and fat lambs
or If he wants heavy fleeces, the swine
grower whether he will have what are
now called bacon hogs or those that
will mature younger and make fatter
pork and the poultry keeper whether
he wants fat chickens or fowl that are
productive of many eggs, and having
decided, they should each breed and
feed for what they want most. They
cannot have the best of each quality In
the same animal or bird.
Care of Horses.
Before the horses are put to work