Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1914-05-23
SCRUBS IN THE PURE-BRED
HERD.
Get Rid of Them If You Want to
Keep the Herd Up to Standard.

A suggestion to breeders of pure
bred stock in the direction of urging
them to improve their herds by weed
ing out more closely their pedigreed
scrubs, by the more liberal use of the
knife on the males and the sending of
the tail-end and inferior females to
the feed lot, has the appearance of an
annual sermon. Yet it is an admoni-
ton that the live stock and farm
journal sees the force in emphasiz
each recurring year in the breeding
operations of many so-called breeders
of pure-bred stock.
The general interests of the pure
bred stock business of the country
should be the raising of the standard
in quality of the breeds that these
several breeders represent The great
est hindrance in the improvement in
live stock encountered is the scrub
pure bred A good grade is one of the
best object lessons that the purebred
live stock industry has to present to
the inquiring public. A high grade is
the conclusive evidence that purebred
sires are a necessity in the successful
operation of breeding and handling
live stock
Each year there is an active cam
paign of agitation for reducing the
number of scrub pedigreed males by
castration. This campaign of reform
is usually led by breeders, live stock
auctioneers, farm journal editors, deal
ers and handlers of live stock. 1t is
quite noticeable that conditions are
lettering each year, and that quality
is improving slowly; but there will
never be the progress made that the
times and conditions demand until
the public auction of poor quality of
pure-bred stock is dscountenanced by
the reputable breeders of the country.
In fact, reputable breeder cannot
pursue a surer and quicker course To
ruin than to be associated in the public
disposition of the pure-bred scrub.
1t is quite generally conceded that
the pure-bred scrub is ruinous prop
osition from the standpoint OF breed
ing. When placed in comparison with
the good high grade. its shortcomings
are exposed and there is nothing lett
in its defense. Besides. the animals
of doubtful pedigree almost invariably
come from this class OF stock. A
standard of individual qualification
should be the governing principle in
registration. Then pedigree and reg
istry would mean something in quail
ity, and the purebred scrub would
find its level with the grade.
But no doubt until the end of time
many pure-bred breeders will regard
every animal produced on the farm
as of the highest type OF perfection
This estimate will be held in spite OF
the well known fact that not over half
the animals produced in the average
herd are fit TO use as breedrs, and that
a good herd header is the very hardest
animal in this world to find There is
a certain nobility about the breeding
of pure-bred stock which elevates agri-
cultural industry. but nobility OF any
sort degenerates into baseness when
il departs from the ideals which have
been held by clear thinking, progress
sive men.
There is nothing ideal in a cat
hammed, pot-bellied, sharp-backci
bull calf though he have pedigree
tracing to peeled willow poles in the
water holes of Mesopotamia. Such
calf is scrub, pure and simple, and
the breeder who fails to castrate him
is degrading his own business and
threatening with ruin the entire pure
bred stock industry. Cen
fury Farmer.