Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1916-11-21
Bull Associations.
COOPERATIVE ORGANIZATION ENABLES
DAIRYMEN TO HAVE USE OF PURE
BRED ANIMAL AT Low COST.

A cooperative bull association is q
farmers organization, the chief purpose
of which is the joint ownership and use
Of high class, pure-bred bulls. The as
sociation also may encourage careful Sc
lection of cows, obtain better prices for
dairy products, introduce better meth
DDS of buying and selling cattle, work
for improved sanitary conditions, intelli-
gently fight contagious diseases of cattle,
and in many other ways assist the dairy
business.
The owners of small herds of grade
cows often feel that they can not afford
TO purchase valuable pure bred bulls.
In consequence they buy scrubs, or
breed their cows to a scrub bull or an
inferior pure-bred bull on some nearby
farm. One year Hols,sin bull may be
used, the mex, year Jersey, and occa-
sionally bull of no particular breeding.
The work Of the cooperative bull ssso-
Citations makes il possible for any farmer
to own share In q pure-bred bull of
high quality.
A bull association in its simplest form
may consist of three farmers who to-
gether purchase three good registered
bulls of the same breed. Each farmer
keeps one of these bulls for two years,
at the end Of which time the bulls are
exchanged to prevent inbreeding. For
the same reason q second exchange is
made at the end of four years. In this
way, by paying the purchase price OF
only one bull, each member of the asso-
citation has the use Of good pure-bred
bulls for six years. A Larger member
ship in the association may either re-
duce expenses OF make possible the pur
chase of better bulls.
The ideal association is composed of q
much larger numoer of farmers. II
jointly owns five bulls, divides it's terri.
tory into five breeding blocks" and as
signs one bull to each block. As many
as so or go cows may belong to the farm
ers 10 each block, and the bull is kept on
some farm centrally located. The blocks
are mum bered from to 8, and every two
years the bulls are moved forward to the
next block. II all the bulls live and are
retained until each has made one com.
plete circuit, no new bulls have to be
purchased during period of 10 years.
AS soon as the daughters fresheu, evil
depce of the sire's true value begins to
accumulate. This is the only true test
of bulls real value; but 1t is self evil
dent that this test can not be applied uu-
ill the bull approaches the age of years.
In ordinary farm practice bulls are us.
ually disposed of before their true value
can be known. The cooperative bull as
socistion makes it possible to obtain sew.
eral years. service from bulls that trans
init desired qualities and to eliminate all
others.
The original cost Of the five bulls and
their annual cost of maintenance are us
ually divided among the members of the
association according to the number of
cows owned by each. Records on file in
the Dairy Division of the department
show that the members of associations
now organized are getting the services
of these high. class pure-bred bulls at an
average cost considerably less than they
formerly paid for the services of scrub
bulls or registered bulls of doubtful
merit. Many farmers in Maryland,
Michigan, and Minnesota, when ques-
toned regarding the value of coopera
tive bull associations, estimated that the
use of sires belonging to the association
increased the value of the offspring in
the first generation from 80 to so per
cent. The average of these estimates
was 65 per cent.
The educational work of each associa- |
ton makes the members alert to prevent |
the introduction and spread Of disease
of any kind. The well.managed bull as
sociatiou requires that all cattle belong |
ing to It's members shall be tested for |
tuberculosis and takes every known pre- |
caution to prevent the introduction OF
contagious abortion.
1t is greatly to the advantage of q CO.
operative association that 1t be incor. |
porated under state laws. This facili- |
tates the transaction of business, equi- |
tably distributes responsibility, and gives
the organization greater prestige in the
community.
Cooperative bull associations have
been common in Denmark for many
years, but the first associations Of the |
kind in the United States were organized |
In 1908 by the Michigan Agricultural
College. In this country their growth |
has not been rapid, but, as rule, they
have been highly successful. If skillful- |
" managed, they may be made a great
factor in the upbuilding Of profitable
dairying in this country.