The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1920-04-28
BULL ASSOCIATION
How They Work Out in
Practice Helpful to Large
as Well as Small Breeders.

and more the usefulness Of the CO
operative bull associations is recog-
nized as time goes on and its bene-
iets to the dairy industry have a
chance to become evident. The full
results that can be obtained from
such an association obviously can not
appear for several years. 1t is evil
dent therefore that since the bull as
sociations are Of only recent begin
ming, the benefits so far obtained are
only the shadowing Of greater
things to come.
The cooperative bull association
has been carefully planned to enable
number Of small dairymen and far
mers who individually could not af-
ford good bulls, to combine their re-
sources and buy few really good
dairy sires. For example, suppose
four farmers each have 500 to invest
In bull. They are so situated that
they can all use the same bull Tho
association makes it possible for them
to pool their resources and buy one
$400 bull presumably four times as
good as any one or the four 500 ami
mails that they could buy individually.
1t is gratifying to see that this theory
is working out in practice SO well that
it applies not only to the dairymen
with $10O available for investment in
bull but equally we'll to the one
to the one with $500.
Saves the Good Bul,s.
| The money advantage Is the first
| thing which attracts tbs farmers at
| tention to the bull association, but by
| far the greatest advantage OF the or
| ganization is the exchange OF bulls
| every two years by means Of which
| continued use Of bulls can be had un-
til their value Is proved. Statistical
| figures Indicate that bulls owned by
individuals are used only to an aver.
age age OF about three years. At this
age 1t is impossible to have any o:O.
duction records Of the offspring,
which Is the only real test OF a sire's
value. Because OF this short life Of
the bull it happens over and over
! again that dairy farmers have dis,
| covered. after the daughters had fin-
| ished a record, the exceptional pre-
potent qualities OF their sire; and
then, on looking around for that sire.
have made another discovery, sad
one. that the search was futile, for
the sire had gone to the butcher.
Beneficial to Family Cow Owners.
The average herd Of all the mem
bors of these associations consists OF
six COWS. Inasfnuch as there are
many herds with ton or dozen COWS,
it follows that there must be a great
number OF herds with less than six
COWS each. In fact, town people own
ing family cows arc 0ftcn members
tpaying thcir share or assessment of
five, tei:, or whatever number oS dol.
lars is required for each COW; and
for this payment tScv have tho use of
all the bulls in the association. Thus
family COW owner may for SO in
vestmcnt have for Il period Of % years
tho use OF such bulls as freely AZ
though he owned thcm himself.
| Leads to Keeping Purebred Cow.
/ The claim Is maSe in behalf Of tho
bull association as an institution that
it opens UP an opportunity for the
small datryman to do nure breeding.
The figures gathered in the 1919 di.
rcctory Of bull associations show that
while tho number Of organizations.
the number OF members, etc, have
increased less than n per cent as
compared with 1918. the Increase in
number of purcbred cows owned by
members went up $40 pcr cent, show
ing plainly that tho bull association
does help the small breeder to do
pure breeding.
NO Chance Of Loss.
We have still to get phc first re-
port from farmer to the effect that
he ha; lost money on his investment
in n cooperative bull association, says
j. p. LaMastcr, Extension Service
dairy husbandman. Tho greatest loss
that can be sustained from a dsbanf-
cd association is that tho wrong i'm
preston which the community and
other communities may receive may
prevent ther7' from organizing Othe3
associations OF tho same kind. Far
this reason, we are anxious to see al
associations organized on the right
basis and properly looked after, so
that none OF them will disband
Suggestions for Success.
The principal points to keep in
mind for building a successful asso-
citation are as follows:
I. Have the blocks we'll organized,
principally with reference to satisfac-
tory location OF members and the
place to keep the bull.
g. Have the association we'll or