The progressive farmer., 1901-11-26
No. ~

If a penny. He is no longer going
TO practice ''grading up" his herd,
but now he begins grading down.
He is now taking up another line of
breeding live stock; he is breeding
as fast as he can-scrubs.
CROSS BREEDING.
What is the philosophy of this:
we'll, in the first place what kind OF
blood had he in his herd? For in
stance, let US suppose he was breed
ing Jersey cattle. He started with
a jersey cross. Maybe there was
Ayrshire and Guernsey blood there.
as often is the case. But our inoagi-
nary friend has used Jersey sire
for some years until the Jersey blood
predominatos. No difference how
long there is a taint of the other
breeds flowing in the veins of his
animals. Now, he uses a cross, say
a Jersey Ayrshire cross. What villa
the progeny be from these grade
Jerseys and this Jersey Ayrshire
sireP Will it be Jersey or Jersey
Jersey or an Ayrshire Jersey? I'll
tell you-it will be COW, but a
blamed poor one, and then the next
time it will be blamed poorer still.
Now, my friends, this is just what
thousands of breeders are doing.
They are breeding scrub stock. Suoh
breeding gives rise in a strong way
TO atavism. You know we agreed
that atavism did not do very much
good. It is true but atavism s most
perniciOus influence oreeps in when
just such breeding as this is prac-
ticed. Atavism is simply heredity.
And the new offspring will be pre-
disposed TO take on these old ances.
trail traits and characters, way back
when her mother was a scrub with
no reputation and no name. And in
the new offspring we again have no
true line Of blood, but whole pile,
80 to speak, of little of every thing.
So the moral is this: in grading up
herd or breeding absolutely pure.
breds, never use a grade sire-no,
never under any conditions of cir
cumstanCes.
HOW GAN WE BEST GRADE UP?
Thus we see how heredity and
atavism affects us in breeding our
live stock. They are not such strange
terms after all, but are absolutely
practical, and our knowledge upon
them depends our success or failure
in breeding If the farmer knows
these things and on his circumstances
will permit him to manage and feed
and handle his stock with care, he
may with confidence know tha6 suc-
cess is assured and that he is on the
coveted road to perfection. But if
he must perforoe permit them to look
out for themselves, with improper
food, and poor shelter, and poor
breeding sires, then money spent in
improved breeds is simply money
wasted. In fact scrub stock will be
better for him bacaUse, these have.
through heredity, acquired to some
extent, the ability to shift for them.
selves and adapt themselves to new
conditions. But a practical Ques-
tiOn arises. How can we best grade
up our herds? That is practical and
let us to the point. For the average
farmer, I think lit better to stick
right by the animals you have. I
think it unwise to sell off your grade
herd and PURCHASE pure -breds. But
understand I believe, pure-breds are
the most profitable and sure. But
better stand by the old herd. Get
the milk tested and find out those
that are paying. Every farmer
should keep a milk record of his
herd. Find out how many pounds
of milk each cow annually produces.
and then test it and if she does not
produce milk enough for her care
an I feed sell her and put the addi-
tiOnal care n those remaining. Now
get a bull, a pure bred one. But Is
that enough? What about his pedi-
gree? Lots about it, The farther
back it runs the better, because the
purer the blood. But that is not
enough we have thousands of pedi-
greed animals that are.scarce1y pay
ing for their board. Select a bull
that had mother that produced a
good quantity of high quality milk,
and that had father whose mother
did the same and whose sires and
dams we're likewise. An animal with