The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1919-11-05
GOOD BULLS ARE
HERD BUILDERS
COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION is
BEST MEANS THRU WHICH TO
PROCURE EXCELLENT sIRES.
PROFITABLE TO DAIRYMEN
Wilson and Bedford Counties First in
State To Have Mutual Creamery and
Better Male OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Gives Details

(By G. A. Hutton, Dairy Husbandry
Specialist, Division Of Agricultural
Extension, University of TENNESSEE
One of the most important factors
in the Improvement of the dairy cattle
of county or a community is the
kind of bulls used. Most farmers now
realize the value of using good sires,
but often the cost of owning one for
a small herd is so high in proportion
to the number of cows to be used that
the farmer feels that he can not invest
enough money to secure a high-class
purehred bull. If he has some neigh
bors who also are interested in build,
ing up a good herd from the few cows
that they own, the most effective way
for all of them is by cooperative own
ership of a sire Of the best dairy quail
tiles. If there are as many as three
such communities In a county or with
in reasonable distance of each other,
the best means to an end is the CO.
operative bull association.
In such an association an assessment
is prorated among members in proper
ton to the number of cows each man
owns. This cost rarely exceeds $40
per COW. The bulls are then bought
by the directors Of the association, and
one animal is placed in each block or
community, where he stays two years
At the end of this time each is adj
vanced one block to prevent in-breed
ing. Number one goes to two, two &c
three. and so on until the highest Is
! reached, and it progresses to number
| one. Keeper of the bull in each BLOCK
| usually is paid small fee which re
imburses him for the upkeep of the
| animal. This rarely exceeds 81 pei
COW for each year.
In selecting bulls for a cooperative
| bull association, the prime considera
| ton is, will their daughters be bette
| producers than the dams of the daugh
| tiers? In other words, will the calves
| of which they are sires be better pro
| ducers than the mothers?
Thus they must not only be goo'
individuals, but they must be from Z
| high-producing family. One of tn
chief requirements is that the dam
| of such bulls must have a register Q
merit record of not less than 5U
pounds of butter-fat in year as ma
4 fire COW, or a proportionate amour
| if the record was made when the COY
was under five years of age. 1t is ais
desirable 10 have the bulls from COW
that have a large number of daughter
in the register of merit, and to hav
great percentage of the ancestry TO
at least four generations in the registe
of merit. With these requirements flu
| filed. how can the bulls he selecte
keep from improving the qualities 0
the future dairy cows of the con
muniry?
| In practice the actual cost to Ow
such bulls comparatively is but little
if any, more than the combined cos
Of the ordinary bulls replaced by then
\ bull for the association would cos
about S4OO, and would replace fror
four to five ordinary purebreds, or pei
haps grade bulls worth on the bee
market about 500 each.
The cooperative bull association
not an experiment. II has been sue
cessful in nulaber Of states for seN
eral wears. Tennessee has (Septembe
1870 two cooperative bull assocli
tions-one in Wilson. and one in Bee
llford courtyard several others l
process of formation. Each of thes
counties has a cooperative ,creamef
and a co-uperatiNe cow-testing asst
citation. They ENJOY the distinction
being the first in the South to have
three of these mutual organizations.
The Wilson county unit has eigf
blocks aud is one of the largest in tn
United States All of the eight exec
lent sires owled by that 0rganizatio
are reated to "Sybil's Gamboge,"
$4,000 animal.
The cooperative bull association
a two-edepd sword. 1t cuts high an
reaches the well-tO-d0--those who hay
good bulls, but want better ones at IL
least cost. 1t also reaches; out to IL
little nan, or the small dairyman, WI
feels tnat he can not afford to own
real good bull owing to excessive cos
Ii affords him an opportunity to bree
his COWS to the very best dairy bloc