The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1908-04-24
COMMUNITY STOCK BREEDING
Director French, of Idaho Experiment
Station, an Ardent Advocate.
By 81. 7. French. Director Idaho Experiment
Station, Moscow.

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By Il. T. French. Director Idaho Experiment
Station, Moscow.
The stock breeder is often seriously
handicapped in his work by the more
or 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 overcome, 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 carload Of cattle Of any par
ticular type or breed, can we'll 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 it 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 Of
livestock, then it might be possible for
buyer to get the entire lot desired
from that particular section.
Another important point in favor Of
community breeding would be the op-
portunity offered for comparison When
breeder is isolated from other men
who are handling the same hind Of
stock, he may not have the opportunity
to check up his stock to see if the de-
sirable points are being brought cut as
they should be. Some important char
acteristics may be overlooked unless
there is some standard of excellence
available, with which to compare his
own results.
One of the most serious hindrances to
the improvement of the breeds of live
stock in the West, is the difficulty in
securing new blood when it should be
introduced. Several individual cases
have come under our observation where
splendid foundation was allowed to
run out, through too close breeding,
which could not be avoided, except at
great expense and trouble in securing
new blood from remote sections of the
country.
The question of feed and care could
be much better solved in any given
com nhuisitysif dozen men were hand
ling the same kinds Of live stock, rather
than dozen different types and breeds.
These ideas are being put into actual
practices in some sections of the Missis-
sippi valley, and il needed there, where
the country is densely populated, it il
doubly important in the Pacific North
west, where farmers have not many o.
the conveniences Of transportation
and rapid communication that are en-
joyed in the more densely populated
| sections of the country.