The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-01-11
GRADE DAIRY STOCK
Cooperative Associations Being Form
ed for improvements of Same One
Breed of Cattle.

6TeGG OF laILiGs
Coincident with the development o.
the work of eoW-testing associations
has been an interest in cooperative
breeding, or circuit breeding, for the
purpose Of encouraging and facilitat
ing the growing of pure bred 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 scme one breed of cattle form an
assc citation binding themselves by an
agre ment to advance the interests OF
that breed and to use only registered
sircs. The bulls are purchased By the
ASST iation from among the best nerds
of t e breed represented and are used
on tie herds Of the members of the
asse alton, regardless Of whether the
GOV are pure breds or grades, until
sue time as inbreeding would result.
A General shift is then made, giving
ear member q new male without any
ado enal expense. The most pro-
duca animal soon becomes known by
the .ue Of his get. II it Is desired
to 81 pure-bred or high-grade stock
for I eeding purposes, advertising is
dor through the association and the
sale; are made by its agent.
- cooperative breeding OF milk
ing .s.horthorns by the Minnesota ex-
per. emit station, in cooperation with
the department of agriculture. was
take Il up in 1907 The associations
are organized from among men who
hav bred and handled pure-bred
=Shc.eehorns for milk and beef produc-
ton. Meetings are held twice a year
to discuss matters OF interest to the
generators, toreport 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
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 aEi-
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 1t the
North Dakota experiment station was
begun in 1908. According to the last
annual report Of the bureau Of animal I
industry of this department, a years
record OF all the cows in the herds
was completed and showed that some
81 the pure-bred cows produced over
500 pounds OF butter during thetII
year. S#ss
The work by the Michigan station
was inauguratedsin 1908 under the d.
rection of field agent appointed by
the state experiment fstation- During
the first five months work ten CO.
operative association We're formed and
seven others we're ia progress Of
About SO registered sires
were introduced, and 100 cows which
were bred to grade and scrub sires in
1907 we're bred to registered bulls in
1908 and 1909.
Cooperation In animal breeding, as
n other forms Of Countrywide cooper
alton, is a direct aid to the retention
IF the family farm, making less need
Tor large farms and the consequent
andlordism and peasantry of the peo-
pie. Cooperation in testing and weed
ng out the ordinary herd used for
production, in owning male animals,
Ind in improving pure-bred families
md breeds will enable farmers to del
agate to collective management those
Kings which the individual farmer
IAN not well do for himself If prop
srly organized under suitable cooper
tive relations with the state and fed
sral departments of agriculture and
by suitable laws, the
values Of our breeds Of live
stock can be improved much more
'apidly than II left to individual effort
llone.
eRpRE DIV EADHHEDcs r. r-sgArNn