The Florida agriculturist., 1906-03-07

self-existence; to-day they struggle for
man. AS burdens incident to their
shelter, protection and food, are now
born by their masters to a greater or
less extent, it follows that those best
taken care of are more efficient in
doing the work that man requires of
them.
AS a consequence of this breeding
and training, we have classes of many
breeds of live stock now slowly ap-
preaching the highest ideals. The
stOck-man must look to the animal as
his first essential in successful stock
raising. AS you do not expect good
tillage through the use of a wooden
plOw, nor do you expect fast loco
motion through an old-time engine, so
you should not expect profit through
live stock grown from scrubs. All
are equally out of date.
If breeding and training show their
power i'll dogs and in men, you must
know that they show their force no
less effectively in cattle and hogs.
Men have greatly improved in culture,
i'll morals, in character; still many
men are no better in this respect
than the average were ten centuries
ago And so with cattle and hogs
The average of these races have been
advanced; nearly the whole race has
been improved. While many breeds
have been developed in many differ
ent directions, you will find in every
direction you go one-half of them
is always superior to the other half
Only the occasional mongrel will do
for birds; it is the exceptional scrub
cow that pays in the dairy.
Live stock pays only where you
find Improvement the fundamental
idea of management. If your beef
business, dairy or pork business does
not pay to-day, you will be making
a mistake by condemning your sec
ton, land, feeding stuffs, or market,
before you have carefully considered
the animal you have to work for
you.
Choose first the line, then the breed, |
and unto these, other things will be
added. Your boys take no bull dogs
nor mongrels to find birds for them. |
They want a special breed. So if |
you want dairy-bred cattle, if you
want beef, go for animals that have /
beef qualities rather than the abili- |
ty to make profit at the churn mol
horse can both labor at the heavy
plow and win on the race grounds
[ am not suggesting, mind you,
that only purebred animals be pur-
chased; rather l suggest the purchase
of pure-bred males, possessing those
qualities you desire for improving the
animals you already possess.
Suppose you do this way in building
up the dairy herd:
Keep your animals, just such as
you have; make a record of the milk
produced, using Babcock milk tester
for determining the gality. This
the last group pay for labor and
will tell you which animals are best;
which medium, and which are poor
Your test will tell you if those in
feed; it will tell you which cows are
working for you and which are not
[ do not hesitate to say that if
the dairy cows you have to-day fail
to pay for feed and labor; if you dis
pose of these, and to the remaining
ones give the feed and also the labor
expended on the worthless ones, you
will have far greater gain and far
more profit in the end
In other words, part of your cows
you are supporting, part are support
ing you. You want to get rid of the
first-named class.
Better stock, then, is needed. 1t
is better to have little of anything,
and that little serviceab1e, than to