Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1911-11-09

(By w. NJ. KELLY)
There is no phase of the dairy bust
ness that needs more study or more
careful management than does the
breeding of the COW.
Upon the COW depends success or
failure and we must, after selecting
her, look to her care and her feed,
and to the handling of her products.
The fact that dairymen have de-
voted more attention to other phases
of their dairying than to the breeding
and development of the COW is one OF
the reasons why 30 many of our dairy
herds are not capable of returning
profit from their food and cost of
attendance.
We are often asked which is the
best breed Of dairy cattle to select for
the dairy? To such men l would say
that there is no best breed. Some
think because they have Jerseys they
are on the royal road to success.
Others think that the Holsteins will
BRING prosperity to the farm.
This is a sad mistake, for scrubs
are very common among the pure
breeds, and pure-bred scrub is with
out doubt the worst scrub of all.
Select cows having individual ex-
cellence as determined by the Babcock
test and scales in starting a herd.
Better and more uniform results OF
breeding may be secured if the ami
mails are of one type of breed and
ch hn oXnrOiCad in get
ting individuals which possess to a
certainty the characteristics we desire
to perpetuate in the herd.
What we dairymen want is a herd
of COWS that will give profit at the
pail, whether pure-breds or grades.
The ones that will produce pound Of
butter or cheese the cheapest are the
ones that we want TO keep in our
herds.
We have a number of improved
breeds of dairy COWS that represent
the skill of years in their perfection,
but in adopting any of these breeds
we should consider the conditions and
environments under which they have
been developed in their original homes
and then plan to make our care and
feed and general management con
form to the conditions under which
the breed had been developed.
If a man has Jerseys. give them Isle
of Jersey care and feed for they can
not succeed on scrub fare and fodder
They were not intended for that pur
pose.
The Jersey COW is a delicate. nerv
GUS machine and requires warmth
kindness and liberal feeding to make
her profitable.
If Holsteins are selected do not ex
pect them to thrive on closely cropped
scantY pastures where they are com
PEELED to rustic all day to gather sui
ficient food.
Give them the care they were de
veloped under, large amounts of sue
culent forage and well cured hay
warm stables and kind treatment.
You may get pure-breds if you ca
afford them, but all farmers are no
able to buy pure-breds. However. a
ways use pure-bred sire.
The breeding bull always represent
half the value of the breeding powe
of the herd If 1t is desired to gro'
calves for the dairy.
Select them from some of the vel
known families of the breed and b
sure that he possesses prepotenc
which gives promise of being a goo
calf-getter.
A bull of this kind will give yo
excellent results in improving tn
herd. Some of the best herds in tn
country are high grades that have r
suited from the continued use of GOO
sires.
In order to be successful as breeder
we must learn some of the lessor
associated with our stock: have a
ideal type in our minds and always
our selection and mating be seekir
to improve the type and standard
our herd.
The best special purpose animal
none too good Never strive to pr
duce general purpose animal |
mixing beef and dairy breeds. All
to produce the animal whose speci
characteristic is the cheap productiC
of a pound of butter or a gallon
milk.
Always seek to have the crosses
harmony. Do not mate extreme
, vigor and constitution are two esse
'ials Unless a COW possesses vigor