The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-01-25
GOOD STOCK PAYS.

2
GOOD STOCK PAYS.
Heredity Important in the Raising of
Domestic Animals.
Heredity is the cheapest product
which man can grow. A buzzard
head pony eats grain of as good a
grade as the best Shire, Hackney, or
Trotter. A good Shorthorn will man
ufacture the grass from pasture into
a much higher priced product than
will the "scrub" or 'dogey' steer. A
great many, if indeed not a majority
of the breeders of pedigreed stock and
grain have really received poor COM
pensation for their labor other than
the satisfaction which it has been to
them to produce and handle superior
animals and plants. They are mis-
sionaries who do good to all of the
generations which are to follow.
A few years ago the late Kirk D.
Armour paid $4,000 for yearling
Hereford bull which was sold at pub
lie auction at Kansas City. It was a
splendid animal, we'll sold in my
opinion. I have frequently made the
statement that could have gone down
upon the prairies of Texas, where,
until a few years since, the long,
horned steer strobe in all his glory
until he had reached the age of five or
six years, and buy bull for 5000
which would have made an expert
breeder look closely to decide which
was the better Individual The most
expert buyers upon the Chicago mar
ket would have found the same style
and size of muscles, ligaments, bones
and all anatomical and physiological
characters. And you could have
submitted them to the chemist, who is
so accurate that we trust him to weigh
out medicine and test it's strength
when the slightest error would prove
fatal to his patient, and I dare say he
would find the animals similar.
Then what did Kirk D. Armour
pay the 81, 800 premium for? Heredity.
He can say to the calf from his So, 900
bull, revert or breed back one genera
ton, three generations, or ten genera
tions if you choose, you will still be a
Hereford and good one. How about
my Texas bred Hereford? He is
high-grade, and if the calves from
him revert or breed back four genera
tons to the ''scrub" they may be lit
tie more than q pair of horns, hide
and a skeleton.
There is young ranchman in the
western part Of our state who is breed
ing horses He uses Percheron stall
lions to cross upon his herd and as I
happened to know that he was form
erly fancier of the English Shire
breed, expressed surprise to learn
that he was using Percheron blood.
He said: 1.-THE Percheron colors the
herd black and dappled gray.
Horses of breeds which are commonly
bay do not mark my colts different
from broncho colors and my custom
ers are not assured that there is blood
of an improved draft breed in their
veins. They are especially afraid
that the broncho disposition will pre-
vail and that the beasts will have to
be broken to work after each rainy
spell"
The improved breeders of this state
will be of service to the country and
at the same time will do the best thing
possible for their business if they will
educate their neighbors, and particu-
larly their young neighbors, upon the
value of heredity. Show them how
cheaply it can be produced and the
pleasure and interest engendered in
its production.
Usually in three generations you
can almost wholly make an animal
over into the form you desire by the
use of we'll bred sires. I have pic
lures of three head of COWS, viz,
grandmother, mother and daughter,
showing how quickly they are made
over. The grandmother was a CON-
anon scrub COW and was bought by
Supt. O. c. Gregg OF Lynd, MIMI,
for $50. A Shorthorn sire of good
blood was used in crossing and from
the second picture, which is good
likeness, it will be seen that she is
much more than half way toward the
Shorthorn in build and general ap-
pearance. Next is the three-quarter
blood COW, and she is of good
Shorthorn type with general or dual
purpose tendencies. This COW fed
upon the same pasture and ate hay
from the same managers that her
grandmother had done before her,
and no one would take a second
thought before saying that she manu-