Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1914-03-06
Importance of Pure Bred
Bulls in Dairy Herds

Bulls in Dairy Herds
Oregon Agricultural College, Cor
vallis-Continued success of the dairy
industry demands that pure-bred bulls
with dairy transmitting qualities be
placed at the head of the dairy herd.
But it is not always possible, finan-
cially, for the small dairyman to own
well-bred bull. In those parts of
the state in which the herds of dairy
cattle are small and close together,
from ten to fifteen cows to the herd,
associated ownership of a well-bred
bull is the plan that is recommended
by Professor R. R. Graves, head of
the Oregon Agricultural college dairy
department. The value of good sire
and the methods of forming and oper-
ating bull associations are explained
by Professor Graves somewhat as fol-
lows:
To retain and improve the milking
qualities of a dairy herd it is neces-
sary to use a bull that is better bred
in dairy qualities than the cows. The
grade and the scrub bulls are no more
prepotent than the cows, so that as
long as such are used there will be no
improvement in the herd. No pro-
gressive dairyman will have bull
whose dam and paternal dam were not
capable of producing at least 800
pounds of butter fat in 365 days. 1t
would be better if this minimum were
raised to $50 or even 400 pounds.
A few years ago we thought that if
the bull we're good looking individ-
ua land had pedigree, he filled all the
necessary requirements. Both of these
points are important, but good produc-
tion records of his ancestors should be
an absolute requirement. Laying too
much stress on his pedigree and ap-
pearance, and too little on the dairy
qualities of his ancestors, has been a
pitfall to many dairymen.
Pedigree may be helpful or harmful,
according to the ancestry. Ifthe an
imal has many high-producing ances-
tors reaching to his own dam, he is
quite likely to have the power to
transmit higk-producing qualities to
his offspring. If he has line of nor
productive ancestry, or the productive
ancestry are several generations back,
he is more than likely to lack the
power to transmit dairy qualities. The
wise purchaser will give little consid-
GRAFTON to pedigree unless it is accom-
panied by records of good production.
Pure breeding is not sufficient reason
for putting bull at the head of the
herd, even though accompanied by a
fine conformation. He must have
heavy producing ancestors close
up.
Although the animal with advanced
registry backing costs more than the
animal without it, his additional worth
is far more than the additional cost.
When such an animal is put at the
head of the herd he many times gets
daughters that increase the yield of
their dams. 1t is advisable when DOS
sible, to select bulls old enough to
have produced daughters whose merits
are known.
The effect Of the head bull on the
production of the herd was shown by
experiments at the University of Mis-
souri, to be very great. A herd of cows
whose average yield was $3.50 pounds
of milk testing 234 pounds of butter
rat, was bred to pure-bred sire
whose ancestors milking Qualities
were unknown. The daughters fell
1909 pounds of milk and 1S pounds of
butter fat below the record of the
dams. Another herd was bred to Mis-
souri, Rioter 3rd, out of the best cow
in the herd, and the daughters showed
an increased average yield of more
than 5000 pounds of milk, yielding las
pounds of butter fat = almost double
the yield of their mothers. The ex-
periments proved conclusivelly that in
dairying as in everything else, "like
produces like"
The question is not, can the owner
OF dairy herds afford to have a pure.
bred bull with high producing ances.
tors, but how to place one at the head
OF his herd most economically. Dairv-
men with large herds will of course
practice individual ownership. Rut
owners of small herds of ten to fifteen
cows often cannot afford to invest in q
high-class bull, and several such own
ers may, when they are not too widely
scattered, form bull ownership asso.
citation, and secure the services of a
high-priced bull at minimum cost 70
each member. :"
Constitution and bylaws for organ
izing these associations, together With
instructions and the services of an
expert organizer, will be furnished hu
the Agricultural College upon applica.
tion OF any responsible group of dairv-
men!
Pure Milk Produced
By Practical Methods
Oregon Agricultural ColIooo n.