The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1919-08-30
prepared by the United States Depart
ment Of Agriculture)

Looking forward to future food needs
of the country's increased pOpula-
tiOn the United States department Of
agriculture, in cooperation with the
state agricultural colleges and other
agencies interested In live stock i'm
prOvement, announces national bet
ter live stock crusade, to get actively
in motion October l under the slogan
Of Better SireS-Better Stock"
The plan is to hasten the replace
ment Of the multitude Of scrub domes-
tic animals in the United States with
purebred or high-grade stock and also
to improve the quality of puRebreds
themselves. It has been evolved
through long and careful observation
of the live stock industry In this coun-
try and after extensive consultation
with specialists and breeders.
Nations Milk Average Low.
For many years this country has
contained thousands Of the finest spe-
cimens of live stock in the world, but
in spite Of that fact the quality. and
productive capacity Of the average
farm herd and flock is still low. For
instance, the average dairy cow In
the United States yields about 1900
pounds Of milk year, a figure scarce.
ly two-thirds the average production
in some European countries, such as
Denmark. The United States has
thousands Of cows which have milk
yields Of more than 10000 pounds
double the Danish average-but on the
other hand 1t has hundreds of thou
sands which are kept for milk and yet
yield only small fraction as much
product as the best cows, though re-
ceiving nearly as much feed and care.
The difference in milk yield Is due
in large measure to a difference in
breeding, but herd Of low production
can be improvedsrapidly by the use OF
4 purebred sire from a family of high
producers.
More SirIoin on WeII-Bred Cattle.
Among all classes of live stock a
similar condition exists, Proper breed
( ing of beef animals results IN better
and more uniform stock, having q
greater percentage Of desirable cuts OF
meat and smaller quantity Of bone
offal and inedible parts. Likewise In
swine, sheep, goats and poultry pro
duction, the kind of parent stock large
ly determines the quality and market
value of the products. The crusade OF
! Improvement now to be undertaken Is
| the outgrowth Of investigations in
genetics, of live stock observations il
many countries, and a close study OF
/ public opinion. In most live stock re
gions Of the world gradual evolu
| ton toward better live stock has beer
taking place place for centuries. The
rapidity Of these changes has an I'M
| portant bearing on world commerce
and on the prosperity Of the nations
in which improvement has been great
est.
Individual and community efforts In
many cases have resulted in marked
live stock progress in small areas. The
islands of Jersey and Guernsey are
familiar examples of this kind Of &C
complishment, but no large country sc
far has endeavored In an organized
way to improve all its live stock ST.
| simultaneously.
| Live Stock Men Equal to Task.
| Officials of the bureau Of animal In
dustry and others who have consid
cred the problem from every angle are
convinced that it is possible to haster
the natural course of live stock evolu
ton with benefit to the nation. The!
are confident also that the live stool
men of the country are eager to under
| take the task
| The means Of accomplishing mos
Of the Improvement, which affects
about 200,000,000 head of live stock
besides poultry, will be through wide
distribution and increased use Of pure
bred sires and dams.
Once the use of purebred sires be
comes general throughout the coun
try, the process of grading up will b
rapid. Many experiments and ais,
practical experience, when good sire
are used, show that within three gen
erations most Of the individuals in |
scrub herd headed by a purebred mall
resemble purebred animals in appear
, ance. In a few more generations, un
der skillful breeding. the former scrul
stock is graded up to such an exten
that for production Of meat and othe
animal products, they are PRACTICAL,
as useful as purebreds. The chief dif
, ference between a "high-grade" ami
nal and a purebred is in the valu
:. for breeding. Only the latter can b
used in producing purebred breedln
stock. Moreover only purebreds ar
! eligible to registry.
! Official Emblem to BE Furnlshed.
) The department Of agricultur
/ through its cooperative state agencie
Is preparing to supply live stock rait
! ers with printed information that tell
In popular language the best anims