South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-05-26
BULL ASSOCIATIONS
BREED BETTER COWS
Means Less Cost to Dairymen
and Can Cooperate to
Fight Disease.

Seventy-six dollars represents the
dairymans investment in bulls. Two
thirds of this money can readily be
saved and better bulls obtained by
joining a bull association, according
to specialists. Through this cooper
atiye organization dairymen can save
money. make their enterprise more
efficient. and obtain better bred cows
capabale OF producing more milk. In
this way community breeding is es-
tabhshed. constructive breeding IS
encouraged. bulls are used to their
fullest capacity, good bulls are kept
and used rs long as fit for service,
and contagious disease is successful
~ controlled
The typical cooperative bull asso-
! citation. composed of from 10 to 90
farms, jointly owns five bulls, divides
: it's territory into five blocks, and as
/ signs a bull to each block.
From 50 TO so COWS are owned by
( the farmers in each block and the
/ bull is kept on some farm conven-
! iently located Thus a cooperative
( bull association is an organization OF
/ farmers for the joint ownership. use,
/ and exchange of high-class. pure
/ bred bulls. In addition. it stimulates
: the careful selection of cows and
J and calves. introduces better meth
! DDS Of feeding. helps its members
market dairy stock, and in other
ways assists in lifting the dairy bust
+ ness to higher level
A bull association reduces the
number of bulls T. the minimum,
/ because one bull serves several small
\ herds. This means that for the same
\ are less money much better bulls can
/ be owned. and as the number is
/ smaller the cost Of keep is conse-
! quently reduced. The original invest
ment per member in bulls under this
plan ranges from $40 to $50, cover
/ ing a period of 10 years. Good, pure
bred bulls. therefore, are brought
within the reach Of any farmer. no
matter how small his herd. In fact
/ it is less expensive than to own a
scrub bull.
While few farmers can afford a
$1,000 bull every farmer can own a
share in one. Such bull, wisely
used, will pay for himself several
/ times over in the first generation OF
/ his offspring. In fact, the first seven
\ daughters Of one association bull
showed an average butterfat pro-
ductiOn of SO pounds more than their
dams, and the first two daughters Of
another bull in the same association
showed an average butterfat produc-
ton Of lie pounds more than theiI
I dams At the price of 80 cents .
pound for butterfat, the seven
daughters Of bull No. l will earn in
four years time $500 more than
their dams II is only when the life
time production records of all his
| daughters are computed and COM
pared with those of their dams that
the full value of a pure-bred bulls
services 10 one generation can be
known. In addition his influence on
the herd will be noticeable for many
generations. This illustrates the val
ue of a good bull. The damage done
! by an inferior bull may be equally
great No other argument should be
necessary to convince every owner
of dairy COWS that he ought TO join
a bull association.
Cattle breeding is especially adapt
ed to cooperative effort, and its
| greatest development Will come
through community breeding. a
bull association encourages the keep
ing of only one breed of cattle on the
| farms of its members, and the estab-
lishment Of that breed in the COM
munity. Breeders will realize that
| buyers visit districts where large
numbers of the type Of cattle they
seek can be found.
Constructive breeding is often diff
ficuIt for the small breeder because
Of the great expense involved. In
this respect the breeder Of pure-b bred
live stock suffers most. The bull as
ISOLATION offers an excellent oppOr-
tunity for the skillful mating of SUI
perior animals and for intelligent.
long continued line breeding.
When the association is composed
/ Of five or six breeding blocks. all its
| good bulls are used 10 their full ca
| pacity and kept as long as At for ser
vice Advancing the bull to the next
| block at the end OF two years does
not eliminate him, but makes it pos
sible 10 avoid inbreeding.
Contagious diseases are much
feared by cattle owners. for the
losses which they entail are enor-
nous. The properly managed bull
/ association furnishes it's members
I With a means Of controlling tubercu-
losis and contagious abortion in their
/ herds. Such an association requires
the cattle of each member 10 be
/ tested for tuberculosis and takes
every known precautiOn TO prevent
the introduction of contagious abor-
ton.
rDs~C nN EArN ThNnS