The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1908-03-21
COMMUNITY STOCK BREEDING
Director French, of Idaho Experiment
Station, an Ardent Advocate.

Director French, OF io7no Experiment
Station, an Ardent Advocate.
By q. T. French. Director Idaho Experiment
Station. MOSCOW
The stock breeder is often seriously
handicapped in his work by the more
OF less complete isolation Of his work.
This is especially true in the West
where many sections are not as thickly
settled as the older portions of the
country. Sometimes this condition is
due to mistaken attitude on the part
OF the breeder-a tendency which is
quite natural to men who are not accus-
toned to organized effort in accom-
plishing given object refer to the
quite prevalent whim that If several
men engage In the same business the
work will be over-done, and the mar
ket for the products destroyed or seri-
ously impaired. In no department OF
agriculture is this condition less likely
to prevail than in the production of
pure bred or even we'll bred live stock.
The more animals Of merit produced in
any given locality, the greater likeli-
hood of better market, owing to the
fact that often few superior animals.
even, are not sufficient to attract the
interest of the prospective buyer. The
buyer which the stock breeder wishes
to interest is the man who is looking
for several head, car load, or perhaps
several carloads, of animals at one
time. Any one who has attempted to
look up a carload Of cattle of any par
ticular type or breed, can well under
stand how difficult it is to find the de-
sired number of suitable animals In
any one locality; and in case the ami
mails have to be selected from remote
herds what vexing problem 1t is to
assemble the animals at any given
point for shipment. Now if a number
OF farmers in any given locality would
all agree to breed the same kind o.
livestock, then it might be possible fol
buyer to get the entire lot desired
from that particular section.
= Another important point in favor O
community breeding would be the op
portunity offered for comparison. Wher
breeder is isolated from other mer
who are handling the same kind o
stock, he may not have the opportunit,
to check up his stock to see If the de
sirable points are being brought out a
, they should be. Some important char
acteristics may be overlooked unles
there is some standard of excellence
available, with which to compare hi
own results.
One Of the most serious hindrances h
the improvement of the breeds OF liv
stock in the West, is the difficulty II
occurring new blood when 1t should b
introduced. Several individual case
l have come under our observation wher
a splendid foundation was allowed t
run out, through too close breeding
which could not be avoided, except at
great expense and trouble in securin
!, new blood from remote sections OF tn
country.
O The question of feed and care coul
be much better solved in any give
: community If dozen men were HAND
e ling the same kinds of live stock, rattle
than dozen different types and breed
These ideas are being put into actui
S practice in some sections of the Missii
sippi valley, and If needed there, whel
the country is densely populated, it
. doubly important in the Pacific Nortl
west, where farmers have not many
the conveniences Of transportatiC
It and rapid communication that are e
: joyed in the more densely populats
IS sections of the country.