The state herald., 1919-09-12


The scrub sire has done more than
drought or food, more than insect
pest, more than rodent and beast Of
prey. to reduce the agricultural wealth
Of the United States. to cut down the
money return OF the individual farm
er from his operations.
But the day of the scrub sire is
drawing to Its dusk.
Preached against for generations,
he Is now to be actively crusaded
against In every state, In every coun-
ty, In every community of the United
States.
1t is the first attempt ever made in
any large country to improve stimuli
taneously all classes of farm animals
by the use of pure-bred sires of good
quality.
1t is a movement that affects every
man, woman and child In the United
States because 1t means more food
and better quality of food. Every
body takes a profit-the farmer and
stock raiser because he gets more
pounds Of hog or cow or chicken out
of the same quantity Of grass and
feed, the consumer because there are
more pounds Of good meat on the
market than under scrub sire condi-
tions.
1t is a crusade In which practically
anyone may Join as an active partlci-
pant. To be officially enrolled. one
must be live stock owner-but not
on a large scale. The owning of one
animal Of breeding age is sufficient.
II male, It must be pure-bred. II
a female, II need not be pure-bred but
must be bred to good pure-bred
male. Therefore. the person who
owns Just one mongrel hen mated
with n quality cock representing
definite breed is entitled to official
enrolment as a crusader for Better
Slres-Better Stock"
Opening Of Drive October I.
The crusade IL to begin on the first
day OF October this year. A great
many organizations. led by the United
Siates department Of agriculture. will
cooperate In II. Prominent among
the cooperating organizations are the
state agricultural colleges and many
associations OF live stock growers
and breeders.
The department Of agriculture.
though Its cooperative state agencies.
will supply livestock raisers with
printed Information. telling In popular
language Of the best animal-breetilng
methods and the advantages Of using
them. An Official emblem. suitable for
display. will he furnished to every
farmer who agrees TO use only good.
pure-bred slres and TO cooperate In
other ways In the better livestock
crusade. II Is required that he fill out
simple blank showing the number
and kinds Of live stock he possesses.
and that he declare that his male
breeding animals are pure-bred. II
IL not necessary that he own the
males, hut merely that the slrcs he
uses. by whomsoever owned. be pure
bred.
The great majority Of people. per-
haps. have never appreciated the ef-
feet Of the ''grading up" Of the live
stock by the use Of pure-bred sires.
Very marked improvement is to he
noted In the first generation. With
some breeds the offspring Of a pure
bred sire and mongrel dams are. In
practical appearance. like pure-bred
animals. A Hereford bull practically
never falls to stamp his progeny with
the Characteristic white face Of the
breed. Chickens from a standard
bred barred Plymouth Rock cock and
any kind Of mongrcl hens are nearly
oil Plymouth Rocks In appearance.
and usually when mature they are at
least two pounds heavier than mon
grel individuals.
Weight Can D lnersassd.
The external improvement In. per
hnps. not 20 marked In nny other
breeds In the arst generation. but the
intrinsic Improvement 10 doubtless
Just % great. The Improvement In
the two breeds cited. however. In not
merely In appearance. The depart.
ment Of agriculture proves that by thc
cnse Of an s0opound part Jersey COW
brcd to Hereford bull. The calf. nt q
little over two years old. weighed
1850 pounds-more thnn twice MI
much a. the COW. With practically
amy breed of hor~es. cattle. swine,
sheep, goats. or poultry. n scrub herd
hcndcd by pure-bred sircs for three
generations will show most NJ the In.
dividnnls closely resemblin. purc-brcd
animals and. for food. production pur.
poses, practically m useful.
For mnny ycnrx this country hns
contained nnny thousands Of the nm
est specimens ~ live stock In tho
world. hut In spite Of TINT fact. the
quniIty md productive cnpncity ~ ths
average farm herd hns remained low
because the farmers hnvc not avaiict
| themselves Of the n,tre-brpd sircA btI