The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1908-04-08
COMMUNITY BREEDING.
A Straight Business Proposition.
Buyers Pleased, Sellers Profited.
By D. II. GRISwoLD, Minnesota


By D. II. GRIswoLD. Minnesota.
Cooperative breeding, or community
breeding, gives promise of great
achievements in the future, Our great
dairy industry is carried ON largely In
the dark. Very few owners Of dairy
herds know with any certainty what
their herds are doing, and whether
they are Kept at a profit or loss few
can tell.
Sires of no particular breed, imma-
ture and utterly worthless, are often
used. If community will form an
association, study the breeds and care
fully select the breed that they like
best and is best suited to their condi-
tons and that they will be willing to
laid sure foundation for future pros
perity. The advantages are far reach
ing and promise great reward, greater,
| believe, than we can conceive Of
This much we know-that when an
association is formed interest is arous-
ed and a desire for better things is In
spired. Full blood sires are bought.
and II man feels too poor to buy a
good animal alone two or three will go
in together and buy. AS good sires are
bought, exchanges are made, so that n
choice animal can be kept near the
same locality during the entire period
of his usefulness.
The secretary should be live bust
ness man, be In touch with every men,
Der, he should know what stock each
one has and what he desires to have.
Through him exchanges are made and
buyer and seller brought together.
When they have stock to sell he car
ries advertising for the whole associa-
ton, thus lessening the expense of ad-
vertising He should have the regis
try books of the breed, 80 that pro-
speetive animal can be traced and Its
worth determined.
When animals are for sale, they are
reported TO the secretary SO that
buyer can find out by him just what
can be bought and where 1t can be
bought and buyer will 60 to such
place when he would not go from
house to house In the uncertainty OF
finding what he wanted. In shipping
there is also an advantage, as animals
can be shipped much cheaper In car
lots than singly.
Community breeding opens the way
for cow testing associations, and they
begin to weigh and test each COW and
weed out the least profitable ones.
They also begin to test for tubercu-
losis, and this work can be done
cheaper when several are working to-
gether.
Lake Mills, Wis. Is noted the world
over for its cattle. Why? Because they
have been working together raising one
breed. A buyer has large numbers to
pick from, he can buy In large lots, and
he can get what he wants. and he is
willing to pay the price.
Now, this is business-straight hon.
est, legitimate business, 1t will give an
uplift to the farmer himself; it will
bring comforts to his family and edu-
cation to his children.
How 1t Works In Wisconsin.
An example of the value of the com
munity working along one line Is well
illustrated at Lake Mills, Wis, where
the farmers and breeders are devoting
their energies to Holstein- Friesian cat
tie. Over 100000 worth of grade Hol
stems are shipped out Of Lake Mills
annually. Counting the value Of the
pure breed produced, the total income
for stock In that community amounts
In round numbers to 100000 per year.
When a scrub cow sells from $35 to
$45 the grade is selling from $50 to
$50. Twelve-month-old heifers are sell
ing as high as $50 apiece. During
single year from forty to fifty carloads
of grade Holstein cattle left this COM
munity for Mexico. One buyer Is re-
ported 10 have purchased during the
last few years as high as 800 head.
In a similar manner Guernseys are
being pushed at Wausau, Wis, where
recently carload of grade Guernseys
sold for S75 per head and another car
load for $72 per head.-Professo Otis,
Wisconsin.