The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1920-04-21
BETTER SIRES
MEAN DOLLARS
County Agent Shows it is Poor
Policy to Keep Stock "As
Good as. the Average"
When Average is Low.


What is the use of all this noise
about Better Sires and Better
Stockr" 1t was one of the well-to-do
farmers of the county who was talk
ing
Look at those steers over yonder
No purebred sires among their an
cestors so far as | know. But they are
good enough for me | tell you, Bas-
CON-" he said earnestly, coming over
to the fence beyond which the county
agent sat in his fivver.
"I'll admit we've got lot of help in
a scientific way from the information
you've brought us, but on this stock
proposition it's different | believe in
good stock, of course, and take a
reasonable pride in my animals, but
what is the use of OVERRIDING it? We
better move along the way we have
been for the past 20 years, / say.
Sometimes we get some poor animals.
of course, but the creatures on my
place suit me pretty we'll Ny father,
on the old farm back East, never wor-
ried about purebred sires and he made
fair living What was good enough
for father is good enough for me"
Hold on a minute" said the county
agent, stopping his motor and coming
over to the fence. you've always
listened to what | have had to say in
the past and | want you to listen to
me now. for the simple reason that it
means dollars and cents to you. It's
nothing in my pocket, but it will mean
more profits, for you when you sell
your livestock products.
Now here is the dope, as the boys
say: United States Department OF
Agriculture men, other animal hus-
bandry specialists, poultry specialists.
and all the rest have figured this
thing out on broad basis. There are
two ways about it. Better sires mean
better stock; that means better mar
ketable products, and that means bet
ter prohts!"
Boy Converts His Father.
For an hour Bascom, the county
agent and Sam, the farmer. talked
over the better-sires campaign. the
county agent skillfully citing examples
from his own personal knowledge and
from reports he had read. He told.
for instance, of New Jersey boy who
was influenced to buy a high-grade
COW for $155, quite to the disgust of
his practical father who owned five
cows. which he claimed. and truth
fully. were "as good as the average
the boys COW gave pa quarts of milk,
in the neighborhood" On freshening,
and kept it up for a long period,
while none of the fathers cows was
able to make any such record Finally
the father saw the point and confessed
that it was deal more profitable to
expend his labor and feed on we'll
bred animals than on his so-called
average COW.
The incident set the county agents
friend to thinking, and the former lost
no opportunity to press his point
home.
Sam" he went on, you don't be-
gin to realize what this thing will
mean on your place. Right breeding
counts every time The United States
Department of Agriculture tells of an
Oklahoma farmer who owned two re-
gistered Shorthorn yearling bulls that
he priced highly for breeding pur-
poses. A butcher saw those bulls and
on asking the price learned that they
were registered and that it would take
$500 to buy the two. What did he do
but pay the 5000, and when he killed
them he said they were the cheapest
cattle he had bought for long time
because they cut the better kinds of
beef. and more of it. My private opin-
ion is il was too bad to deprive the
community of the use of those pure
breds, even though the butcher was
willing to pay the price. But this is the
big point; Breeding counted in dol
lars and cents in that case, and it
does every time"
Hogs Pay Despite High Price.
Turning from the subject of cattle
to hogs, the county agent told what
North Carolina boys had been doing.
Even though hogs had never been
so high" he said, hundreds of boys
bought purebred pigs with the ex-
pectation of selling their offspring
Those lads were not disappointed
Through their county agents, the pigs
were sold at splendid prices and more
than one of their dads was converted
by the experience to the use of pure
bred sires."
"See here" said the county agent,
pulling two photographs from his
pocket, these were taken down in
This one here"-indica-
ting one of the photographs-"shows
a typical Piney Woods rooter. You
know this kind of razorback, Sam.
Now look at this picture" handing
over the second photograph. Here is
what two generations of breeding
with purebred sires brought There's
some pretty good Berkshires. Believe
me, when the owner, standing back
there, takes those hogs to market.
hell appreciate the money value of
the Better Sires-Better Stick cam
paign"
The county agent paused a minute
as if to let the thought sink in.
"Sam, you better sign up. This thing
will mean lot to you--even more
next year than this-because you'll
have more good animals on your
place"