The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1910-08-11
oPULARIzlNG BEEF INDUSTRY
FOR SMALL GEORGIA FARMERS

torial In regard to the cattle-breeding
! Industry in Georgia, and particularly
the reference to cooperative owner
ship of sires, writes Milton P. Jarna-
| gin, Animal Husbandman, University
Of Georgia, Athens. Ca, in The Con-
| stitution. We have been advocating
this policy for the past two and one
half years before the State Dairy and
Live Stock Breeders Association, two
meeting of the Cotton Seed Crushers'
Association, and in many farmers in
stitutes in various sections of the
State. Your Endorsement OF this poll
cy should go long way towards pop
ularizing 1t and bringing it to the at
tention OF many farmers in different
sections of the State, whom we have
not yet reached. The plan, as we out
lined 1t briefly, is this:
We go into a community, hold a
meeting to arouse enthusiasm. and
discuss the Importance Of live stock
breeding, and where We can find own
ers Of forty cows who are willing to
entertain such a proposition, organ
lie a club and get them all to agree
on the breed of cattle which would
likely prove most profitable under the
specific conditions. 1t Is essential
that there should be concerted action
In choosing the breed for obvious rea-
sons, which will be discussed later.
This Is not always an easy task. Per-
| sOnal likes and dislikes do and should
govern In this matter, but since there
Ia such a similarity in characteristics
In all Of the breeds belonging to the
beef type, II there is any feeling Of
cooperation the minority are usually
! willing to be governed by the desires
Of the majority and a decision Is thus
reached.
After the first club Is organized we
20 to the next community and per-
suade the owners of forty cows to Or
ganize q similar club, and SO on with
third community. This group Of
three clubs representing 12o which
are to be bred to, say Hereford
bull, II 1t is a beef-producing centre.
or Jersey bull, II it is a dairy-produc-
ing section, gives a desirable number
of animals for a satisfactory begin
| ming.
A constitution and bylaws is
adopted and officers duly elected. 1t
is the purpose Of these organizations
to raise funds for purchasing and
maintaining the sires. The college
finds the place where three sires. de-
sirable as to pedigree and individual
ity, can be secured and the prices that
will have to be paid for them. We
prefer the local societies to make the
final negotiations and purchase the
animals. After these sires are placed
In the various communities It will be
necessary to choose or designate one
man In each for keeping the bull.
and 1t will be best for him to be as
centrally locatsd as possible. Fur
thermore, he should be compensated
for his trouble and expense necessar-
lily incurred.
The bylaws provide for each man
to sign an agreement to mate a GER
tain number of cows with the bull
each year, and furthermore, it has
been found more satisfactory for the
stockholders to agree to pay a service
fee of 81 and charge non-members
SO. These fees go into a sinking
fund for defraying expenses, and by
the time 1t is necessary to purchase a
new sire they will have amounted to
a sufficiency so that it will not be
ments.
The imperative reason for organ
izing three such localities at one time
and purchasing three sires is because
at the end of two years it will be
necessary to change sires in order to
prevent in-breeding. Past experience
has shown that after a meritorious
sire has been used in a herd until q
large number of his daughters have
come into. profit and 1t is no longer
advisable to continue him at the head
OF the herd. in most instances 1t is ex-
ceedingly difficult to make a satisfac-
tory sale OF him, so that each year
many tried sires. with rent-paying
profit-producing daughters meet an
ignominious end on the butchers
block. This point is frequently
reached by the time the bull Is not
more than five years old, whereas
with proper care he could be counted
on to do good service in improving
other herds for from i've to seven
years more.
At the end of the first two years
the bull In group No. is transferred
to group No. 2. the bull in group No
is transferred to group No. 3. and
tho bull In group No. 3 comes to group
No. 1. At the end Of four years a sec
ond exchange of this sort is made
thus in each community for the cost
Of one sire, which is to be paid for ac-
cording to the number of cows the in.
dividual breeder is maintaining, pure
al ha o..