River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-08-17
THE TEST OF PRODUCTION
It Is Moro Important, Says H. S. Mat
teson, Than That of Pedigree in
Fixing Value of Cow.

1t is fine thing to build up and inn
prove breed of cattle, but | fear that
most breeders make a mistake in pay
Ing too strict attention to pedigree and
such little attention to the performance
of individuals. On this account animals
sometimes go out into sections where
they are givef an individual test and be-
Ing found wanting, the result is there is
at once prejudice against the breed,
when in fact the trouble is only with the
individual animal. For instance, at
fair where competition for butter
fat prize was offered, in one case found
Holstein COW whose milk showed only
two per cent. of fat, and as she was in
that test, this low percentage was
known to all dairymRn present; the re-
suit was that in that particular section
the demand for IIolsteins was not stim-
ulated. The same was true in the case
Of a Jersey COW whose pedigree was OF
the best; yet when she came to trial in
one of these butter contests, she showed
only three per cent. of fat in her milk.
1t certainly ought to be known TO all
breeders Of cattle that while we are told
that like begets like, there are many in
stances where this does not happen.
Hence the necessity for more earnest
study of individuality and careful
wedding out. / know it is hard, when a
breeder has an animal that SO far as
color, form and al, other characteristics
OF the breed are concerned is perfect, to
send such an animal to the butchers
block just because she may fall far be-
low what her breed would call for in per-
! Torrance; and the temptation to sell her
buy thoroughbreds, but do not like to
pay much more than scrub prices, must
be strong.
All the greatest records ever made in
this or any other country have been
from herds built up, not on pedigree, but
on performance. | wish to refer you to
one herd of the kind l would recommend.
1t is that on Commissioner Wietings
farm at CoblesEill. Here are some 35
. cows of all the breeds known, but each
: individual COW in the herd was selected
from what her performance had been,
regardless of any pedigree. They will
show years record of quantity a1d
quality of milk that is second to no
herd.
So much for breeding and wedding cut.
Now for the one other important thing
toward success in building up the
best herds--that is, care and manage
ment. Too often there 5 no method
or regularity in anything pertaining
to the herd, except perhaps that Of
studying up pedigree, so as to be able
to repeat it back for many generations,
! as a school child would the multiplica'
ton table. If plans for caring for and
handling a herd had been studied in
the same regular, systematic way that
the pedigree is kept, it would be of the
greatest Importance to successful
herd. 1t is too frequently supposed that
the COW is an animal that pays little or
no attention to anything except chew
ing her cud, and that anything aside
from this would be of no account. From
many years experience with handling
and caring for them | am convinced
that no other animal will respond more
quickly, or to so great an extent, as
will the COW to kind treatment and a
regular system of feeding and milking,
and that everyone who will adopt such
a plan will be surprised to see how soon
they will adapt themselves to regulari-
z ty in everything, and seldom if ever
make any mistake on their part. Above
all things else, never make the mistake
of putting the herd and it's management
second to any other work, but make
everything else subservient to that