Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-04-04
farm and firr5idr.
The Pure-Bred Herd.

and this is Well, l DelleNe, II with the
purchase of good stock goes the study
of animal form and blood lines that
is absolutely necessary to insure suc-
cess i'm this line of work.
1t should be remembered that the
breeding of pure-bred animals is the
very highest type of work TO which
the man on the land can devote his
life and that there is more to the
business than simply the purchase
of a few pure-bred foundation ami
mails and the bringing of them up or
the farm.
The leading breeders of pure-bred
animals in the world have been and
are today striving to produce, by
careful selection and generous feed
ins, the types of animals that the
markets of the world will pay the
highest price for-that is, the animal
that will turn a certain amount OF
feed into the most dollars. Years OF
work have been devoted by some OF
the best minds of the world to the
work Of molding animal form and
the directing of animal functions
into lines of greatest profit. So we
believe the first work Of the would
II be breeder Of pure-bred animals
should be the study Of these types
Of improved animals and the blood
lines that have the more often been
successfully blended to produce the
specimens of the highest character.
When this study has been followed
until the farmer has a pretty clear
idea of what he wishes to produce
from the mating of his animals, then
should come the study Of feeds that
will If given to young animals OF
best breeding produce the greatest
development. 1t should be remem-
bered always that selection and feed
ing have been the factors that have
raised the animal form to the plane
on which it rests today and that
each one Is of equal Importance; that
If either factor is neglected by the
breeder, retrogreSsion will surely fol-
low. The breeder of pure-bred AMI
mails should be able to see before
him the most perfect specimen or his
breed that has been produced, then
he should be able to see the faults of
this best animal, and IL should be the
aim of his life to so handle his ami
mails as to help to correct these
faults: for we believe every handler
of pure-bred animals should strive to
be a constructive breeder When the
time comes that a breeder can point
to four or five generations of animals
that have been produced under his
charge and a steady improvement In
type or productive capacity Is noted,
then, and not until then, can he call
himself a real breeder Of animals.
Wealthy men have, In some in
stances, been a great help in the up
lift of animal breeding. by reason of
their purchase under the supervision
Of the best stock judges, of many OF
the best specimens of the different
breeds. These animals handled by q
herdsman, whose capital consisted or
a love for animals and a thorough
knowledge of animal form and cor
rect methods of feeding and mating,
have produced offsprings that have
been a credit to the breed and breed
er, yet perhaps the greatest credit
should in this case be given to the
man who did the actual work, and
not to him who furnished the money,
because money alone could never have
produced the results obtained. Many
Of the great constructive breeders OF
the world have been men Of limited
means, but of large knowledge and
judgment in their line.
The care of pure-bred breeding
animals means more than simply
throwing feed in abundance to them.
Health is the first consideration, and
"a method of handling that would be
entirely proper with fattening ami
mails, that are to be kept only few
months, might possibly be entirely
h~An 1trNCg q NJ
mails that are expected to live on and
reproduce for years. Economy of
feed is not always the chief point to
be considered in the handling of
breeding animals, and it may some
times pay Qndeed, usually it will, 1
believe), to keep our breeding ami
mails under conditions where greater
amounts Of feed are required to
maintain the animals in strong flesh
than would be the case were they
handled somewhat differently.
The writer is a great believer in
outdoor air, sunshine and liberal
feeding in handling fine breeding
stock. 1 believe that in the south
no breeding animal should be con-
fined in a stable at any time except
when the young are expected, ard
then only when the weather Is such
as to actually endanger the life of
the recently dropped animal. We
have a herd of cattle that have been
in a shed only twice the past winter:
the animals have slept right out on
the sod under the stars. Fed liber-
ally upon pea and soy bean hay, the
herd has been entirely free from the
coughs and colds that 50 often accom-
pany barn feeding. More feed has
been used than would have been nee
essary to have kept the animals in the
same flesh had they been confined in
a warm barn, but We feel that we can
not run the risk Of having our ami
mails become weakened in constitu-
tion because of desire to save q little
on the feed bill. And it is no hard
ship to the cattle, this Out-of-doors
living. any more than it is hardship
TO men to sleep out in the air. The
animals have snap and 60 to them
that they never have when confined to
a warm stable and this strong conSti-
tuition is q great factor i'm q profitable
live stock business.
| am writing this article because
have come across many So-called
breeders of pure-bred stock who have
no well-defined idea as to what con-
stitutes a first-class animal, and how
are such men to make any progress
WneI Iney nave no marx 10 WHICH
they are aiming? Besides, such
breeders cannot do justice to their
customers who order stock by mail, as
when u top animal is ordered they do
not know whether they are shipping
such an animal or not. The study of
blood lines. mating and caring for an
imals is a lifetime business and, l be-
lieve. should not be undertaken by
those who are not willing to put time
and thought into their work. Hap
hazard work along this line means ret
repression of breed, financial loss and
disappointment to the breeder and
dissatisfaction Of customers.
To the young farmer who would de-
vote his life to this fascinating line of
work [ would say: Study the breed
you consider best fitted to your taste
go to the leading stock shows of the
country and study animal form there;
go to some breeder who has been a
student of pedigree for years and give
heed to what he has to say concern
ing blood lines: look carefully to the
matter of feeding and care; then put
the money you expect to spend on
three or four animals into one animal
that some good breeder recommends
as the prospect for a great breeding
4, nDI IL