Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1921-04-28

VI ~ ductiOn, then, rep |
resents, one of the highest forms of |
service that agriculture renders the |
human race 1t renders the farmer a |
direct service in affording him cash |
commodity of one form or another.
It provides a home market for farm |
crops which might not sell to adj
vantage or which have no sale value
whatever. 1t enables him to utilize
farm labor to the best advantage and, |
Furthermore, to utilize feeds on his |
farm in such a manner as to conserve !
soil fertility and increase the pro-
ductiveness of the farm. In addition |
to all these services, who would deny |
that the influences and environment |
of livestock farming are productive of
the highest types of manhood and |
WOmanhOOd!
Only second to superior purebred
animals are highgrade animals pos
sessing SO per cent or more of the
blood of purebreds. In many instances
today it is often difficult to distinguish
between classes of high grade and
purebred animals of the various types
and breeds. But it should be remem
bered that to the purebred livestock
industry we owe the success of high
grade animals. Of course it must be
admitted that for ordinary farm pur
poses and for the production of meat,
milk, wool and labor, grade animals
resulting from the use of most excel
lent purebred sires and good methods
of selection and rearing-serve the
farmer practically as we'll as class
of purebred animals.
Need Better Sire Campaigns.
The common classes of farm ami
mails which reveal no particular line
of effort as regards breeding and i'm
prOvement suggest the necessity for
putting on campaigns for livestock i'm
provement, the basis for which should
be, at least, choice purebred sires.
There can be no sound policy for
marketing purebred livestock without
first having a superior class of pure
bred animals. Too much emphasis
superior merit They must first of
all be superior in those qualities for
which live stock is primarily bred and
produced, namely, the production Of
meat, milk, wool and labor, as the
case may be. Purebred animals which
lack these qualities are degenerate
and oftentimes are inferior to the
common non-purebred classes of live
stock.
Besides possessing the essential
qualities for which all livestock is
primarily bred, purebred animals must
possess a line of breeding which will
insure to the greatest degree of certain
ty the reproduction of most desirable
qualities in each rising generation of
animals. Pedigrees record such lines
of breeding. The recorded lines of
breeding by means of the registration
of purebred animals constitutes the
chief distinction between purebred
high-grade animals,
Carelessness Wastes Useful Future.
Too much care cannot be taken in
the selection of animals representing
the best lines of breeding and in re-
cording. such pedigrees so that they
may be easily and intelligently inter-
preted Every individual animal is
but a part of many animals which
combine to make up the different lines
of breeding or ancestry. The char
acter and quality of the most i'm
mediate ancestors will exert the great
est influence and largely determine
the excellence of the offspring.
Pedigrees are valuable only to the
extent that they can be interpreted.
A most valuable pedigree would in
clude only animals of superior merit.
In such pedigrees there would be an
absence of animals of inferior type.
True stOckmen are therefore respon-
sible and necessary for making reli-
able pedigrees.
Healthier Animals Wanted.
Health is another consideration that
must be given careful attention in de-
ve1oping and selling purebred live
stock. Any known unsOundness that
prevents an animals measuring up to
the full standard of excellence that
buyer naturally has in mind in pay
ing the usual prices for purebred live
stock should bar animals from being
sold as breeding or foundation stock.
1t is a good business proposition for
men engaged in the breeding OF pure
bred animals to safeguard in every |
way possible their herds from the in
PRODUCTION of diseases and to know |
that every animal offered for sale car
ries with it clean bill OF health. |
Sellers and buyers both must feel a
sense of high honor and obligation in
dealing with the health problem.