The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-12-25

prepared by the United States Depart
ment OF Agriculture.)
Time was-and not so long ago
when the small farmer could not af-
ford to breed purebred animals.
The time has come-just now, per-
haps-when the small farmer can hard
ly afford not to breed purebred ami
mails, and at least he should use pure
bred sires.
That Is particularly true If his line
Of live stock is cows and, more partic-
ularly, If they are dairy cows, accord
ing to men in the United States de-
partment of agriculture who have CIV
en- their lives to the study Of dairy
farming.
What has brought about the change?
Principally, community organization.
The small farmer who has to operate
alone and unaided-as practically all
of them did ten years ago-has rocky
road If he aspires to pure-bred stock.
Now the whole situation is changed,
or is rapidly changing. The small
farmer does not stand alone, and he
has all kinds of aids. There, to start
with, is the county agent, ready to
bring the accumulation of expert
knowledge to bear on the problems Of
the small farmer. There is the county
farm bureau, perhaps. There is the
cow-testing association. There Is the
cooperative bull association. There
are enough things, If they are used, to
pull the community together and make
it possible for the smaller scale breed
er to enjoy many Of the advantages
formerly obtained only by the largest
scale breeder.
A Land Of PUre-Breds.
"Why not" inquire the dairy experts
Of the department of agriculture,
make the United States pure-bred
country, put 1t in the mind Of the
world as a pure-bred countryY Peo-
pie do not think Of 1t that way now.
Try 1t out with yourself. You think
Of the Island Of Jersey, say, as simply
a breeding ground for pure Jersey
cows, Of Scotland as the top notch in
Aberdeen-Angus cattle, Of Clydesdale
horses, even Of Collie dogs. Your pie
ture Of England is likely to be one Of
pure-bred Herefords or Shorthorns.
And you have a sort of feeling Of rev.
erence toward them.
Do you think of America, from a
livestock standpoint, in that way? OF
course not. You think of 1t as a meat
producing country, range country, a
grade-cattle country.
Both estimates are, In a manner, cor
rect. But, to the individual farmer on
the Island Of Jersey or in the white
face country of England or the black
cattle country Of Scotland, the matter
of having his animals pure bred Is a
matter Of doing what everybody else
is doing. 1t is easier-or, to say the
least, just as easy-to do it as not to
do II.
Until just now that condition never
existed in the United States; 1t does
exist now. Communities have organ
lied and are organizing still more
closely. Breeding associations are be-
ing formed with secretaries who can
give help In keeping the records of all
straight one of the things
with which the small farmer operat-
ing alone has greatest difficulty. When |
a community organizes and starts rails
Ing pure-bred stock of any kind it |
brings a market for that kind of stock |
to the door of every farmer in the COM
The man who operating alone,
could not have sold a pure-bred ami
nal for a dollar more than he could
have got for good grade animal can
get the worth of every animal he
raises under the community system.
Opportunity Is Here.
America has the opportunity just
how to develop as a great breeding in
,titution. South America wants pure
bred "stuff." AS an indication of how
active the want is, Argentina recently
appropriated 100000 to encourage the
of pure-breds.. If the
United States gets any considerable
portion Of the business In South Amer.
ca, department experts say, 1t must
,e because American animals compete
on final test with ami
nails from anywhere else in the world.
they see no trouble In doing that with
larry cattle where production Is the
est. The thing to be done is to give
he South Americans what they want
n dairy cattle.
There Is likely, also, to be a pretty
zig market In France for American
,ure-bred dairy cows. The problem Of
IMPLYING the demand is somewhat'dif-
erent from the South American prob
EN-. France wants general-purpose
,ow, while the United States Is the
lone Of the specialized COW. The
hing that Is to be done In that case