The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1916-07-22
SELECT HEAD OF HERD
WITH GREAT CARE.
Purity of Blood Very Desirable, But
Not An Absolute Guaranty OF
Excellence.

Not enough attention II given to the
selection of the head OF the herd.
whether it be herd Of cattle, hogs or
other farm animals. the fact that the
character of the next generation OF
live stock, and, soon, that OF the en-
tire breeding herd, will be determined
by the sire that is being used, should
be kept constantly In mind. The sire
exerts an influence on the herd equal
to that Of all the females combined.
and for this reason, much more care
and study must be given to both his
individual makeup and ancestry than
Is necessary in case Of any female
member of the herd.
The pedigree of the male must be
stu0ied, not so much for the purpose
of finding therein the names of "a
nous ancestors which have been
show animals, as to form an estimate
as to the probabilities of the male in
question being able to transmit the
essential qualities of utility. The i'm
mediate parents exert by far the great
est influence on the makeup and
breeding qualities of an individual II
either parent is not strong and vigoF-
Gus, or IL each Of these parents have
not already produced other animals OF
exceptional merit, 1t is not considered
good business to pay a very large price
for one of their offspring. Unless the
parents have proved their ability to
produce excellence in a large NUMBER
of their offspring the chances are that
the animal In question will prove a
great disappointment All Of the
grandparents combined exert an influ-
ence about equal to one immediate
parent and that should be taken INTO
account. The influence of any given
ancestor back of the grandparents IL
so sman as to be practically a nesli-
gible quantity
After care has been exercised IN the
selection of the sire, both for indi-
vidual excellence and good ancestry.
the real trial comes when the actual
breeding qualities Of the male are
tested out by mating him to a few fe-
males which have proved their merit
as breeders. II his offspring with
these females fail to show exceptional
merit, then he should be discarded at
once and another young male tried out
in the same way until satisfactory
one is found. Successful breeders are
always trying out young males for tAe
purpose of having something reliable
in reserve The feilure to take this
precaution has been the undoing a
many excellent herds. Certainly net
more than one in four of the most
promising offspring Of exceptional
parents, backed up by the best of an
cestry, ever really added anything to
the excellence of the breed. The Sc
lection, then, by pedigree and individ-
uality, simply increases the chances
Of getting a satisfactory herd sire to
about one in four The wise ana sue
cessful breeder is not willing to take
! this risk but prepares beforehand un
til he is absolutely sure of his ground
!, Not so much attention need be PAID
} to the selection of the herd sire In
J case where the stock is kept for util
ity alone, as in case Of man raising
: hogs for market, but in this case also
1t Is of first importance that the hero
. sire comes of good parents and tina
, he is strong and vigorous in ever,
way. Purity of blood is no absolute
| guaranty Of excellence. The chances
} are that the pure-bred sire will b
able to transmit the desired qualities
? with much more certainty than II
. case Of the animal with a mixed an
: cestry, but vitality and prolificac.
J are the all-important and far-reachinl
: factors to be considered.
!, E. L. Jordan,
Louisiana State University