The Glenwood post., 1919-07-12
sire Law
ADvoCATEDFoR COLO.

A number of adjoining states have
passed legislation requiring that only
registered sires shall be turned upon
open range. A bill providing for simi-
lar enactment in this state has been
before our own legislature. The ques-
tion is therefore one for stockmen to
to be thinking about and discussing.
In connection with the proposed legis-
lation in Colorado, various points have
naturally come up with regard to the
merits and demerits of the scheme.
The argument for such legislation is
pretty much as follows:
The use of high class registered sires
has come to be recognized as the best
means of improving livestock. The
breeding problem on the range is no
different from that on the farm, with
the sole exception that any one man 8
herd is not nuder as close control on
the range as it is on the farm.
In buying good bulls for the range,
the man who purchases them knows
that his neighbor will get the benefit
of these good bulls,and if his neighbor
is buying inferior bulls, the man who
bought the good ones will have in his
herd calves from the neighbor's poorer
stuff. There has been q tendency,
therefore, in many sections Of tho
range, not to buy high class bulls. In
other sections men have gotten togeth-
er in their policy, and all who are run
ming cattle on given range will buy
good bulls at about the same price per
head. This policy, in connection with
the law which is now in existence re-
quiring a man to turn on the range one
bull for every twenty-five cows, which
he is running, has enabled some sec
tions to build up the quality Of their
cattle, but narrow minded man in a
community can ruin the whole scheme.
The argument that everywhere stock
men are recognizing the value of high
class registered sires, does not move
the man who is intent upon spending as
little as he can, and getting the benefit
of his neighbor's money; yet inasmuch
as improvement by the use of regis
tered sires is now recognized generally
among stockmen, why should not the
penurious man be compelled to recog-
nize this principle if he desires to run
his cattle on public grass!
The advantage of the registered sire
is that he is more nearly known quan-
tity than the grade sire. The registered
sire is from line of ancestry that has
been bred for a specific purpose and
to certain type for many generations.
AS a result he can be counted upon to
transmit these characteristics with
reasonable certainty. The grade ami
nal may look exactly like the regis
tered animal, may be three quarters or
seven-eighths pure, and yet he has IN
him the blood Of common line of
cows, line of cows concerning whom
no information is available, except by
word Of mouth, and he is just as likely
to transmit characters belonging to this
inferior race of cows as he is to trans
init them from the line of purebred
sires back of him. think 1 can illus
trate this difference of appearance in
breeding powers best by referring to
the breeding mower Of crossbred OF
hybrid animalA
Take for example the cross between
certain breeds Of hogs, one of which il
red and the other black. All of the
progeny will be black, like one parent
40 far az anyone could tel in buying a
sire from this group Of animals, the
sire could be expected to breed blacf
As . matter Of fact, red will crop out
in the next generation, because while
the animal ID al black, he carries II
his gsrmplasm the power to transmit
the red color of the second parent. Nov
this u exactly what the grsde Here
ford or Shorthort bull docs ON tn,
range. He, himself, may b goot
booking Hereford or 6horthofn, but b,