Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-01-17
HIGHER GRADE DAIRY STOCK
Cooperative Associations Being Form
ed for Improvement Of Some One
Breed of Cattle.

Coincident with the development Of
the work of cow-testing associations
has been an interest in cooperative
breeding, or circuit breeding, for the
purpose of encouraging and facilitat-
ing the growing of pure-hred and nigh
grade airy stock The main centers
of activity along this line of work of
which reports are available, have been
in Maine. Minnesota, Michigan and
North Dakota
The general plan of these associa-
tions is as follows: A community Of
farmers interested in the Improvement
of some one breed of cattle form an
association binding themselves by an
agreement to advance the interests of
that breed and to use only registered
sires. The bulls are purchased by the
association from among the best herds
of the breed represented and are used
| on the herds of the members OF the
association, regardless Of whether the
cows are pure breds or grades, until
such time as inbreeding would result.
A general shift is then made, giving
each member a new male without any
additional expense. The most pro-
ductive animal soon becomes known by
the value of his get II 1t is desired
to sell pure-bred or high-grade stock
for breeding purposes, advertising Is
done through the association and the
sales are made by it's agent.
The cooperative breeding of milk
ing Shorthorns by the Minnesota ex-
pertinent station, in cooperation with
the department of agriculture. was
taken up in 1907. The associations
are organized from among men who
have bred and handled pure-bred
Shorthorns for milk and beef produc-
ton. Meetings are held twice year
to discuss matters of interest to the
co-operators, to report progress made.
and to suggest plans for improving
the work. A circuit superintendent is
employed who, under the direction Of
council consisting of the president
of the association, a representative OF
the department of agriculture, and
a representative from the state expert
ment station, advises and directs the
management of the herds, and keeps
records of feed consumed, milk pro-
duced, and breeding power Of the All
mails in the circuit. He spends two
days with each member, during which
he weighs the milk produced by each
COW and makes butter-fat determine
tons. From these and daily records
kept by owner the annual ercords
of milk and butter-fat production are
computed
The Holstein cattle work It the
North Dakota experiment station was
begun in 1909 According to the last
annual report of the bureau Of animal
industry of this department, years
record OF all the cows in the herds
was completed and showed that some
of the pure-bred cows produced over
500 pounds of butter during the
year.
The work by the Michigan station
was inaugurated in 1908 under the d.
rection of a field agent appointed by
the state experiment station. During
the first five months work ten CO.
operative association we're formed and
seven others were in progress of
| formation. About so registered sires
we're introduced, and 100 cows which
were bred to grade and scrub sices in
1907 were bred 70 registered bulls in
1908 and 1909
Cooperation in animal breeding, as
in other forms of Countrywide cooper
alton, is a direct aid to the retention
Of the family farm. making less need
| for large farms and the consequent
landlordism and peasantry of the peo-
pie. Cooperation in testing and weed
Inc out the ordinary herd used for
! production, in owning male animals.
and in improving pure-bred families
| and breeds will enable farmers to del
| egate to collective management those
things which the individual farmer
| can not well do for himself. If prop
erly organized under suitable cooper
| alive relations with the state and fed
eral departments of agriculture and
encouraged by suitable laws. the
heredity values of our breeds of live
stock can be improved much more
rapidly than If left to individual effort
| alone