The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-06-14
PRODUCTION AT :.
NEW SALEM is
ON INCREASE
Daughters of Cows of HOl-
stein Herds Show Better
Records For Milk
SOME COMPARISONS

on the New Salem Breeding circuit
have given an average of 1872 pounds
more butterfat during their best year
than their dams have done on the
same circuit and under like condi-
tions. This is a 1853 per cent in
crease over the production of their
mothers.
"This, it seems to me, is a good
measure of the progress made in
breeding up herds of cows adapted
to the Great Plains conditions which
surround the herds on the circuit at
New Salem" says j. H. Shepherd,
head of the animal husbandry depart
ment of the North Dakota Agricul-
tural College and organizer of the
circuit.
"These 116 cows which have made
1872 pounds increase over their dams
are the best of the circuit cows and
have produced an average of 400 8
pounds of butterfat in a year."
Mr.. Shepherd believes that the use
of high grade sres is responsible for
part of this increase in product ton
as he explains that a bull which
could sire an Improvement in tho
yield of a 300-pound herd would
have dragged down the yield of the
progeny of these 3S0-pound cows in
stead of string daughters that yield
ed 25.2 pounds better than their
dams,
In compiling the figures Mr.. Shep-
perd used standards which are adopt
ed by the national HolAtein record
association except that the circuit
cows are given no period of prepara-
ton and none for recovery. They
are just caught at work in their
shirtsleeves, he explained, and their
year is the calendar year from Jan.
uary 1 to December 81 and not just
any consecutive 365 days of time.
1t is standard which is weighted
according to the age of the COW. A
heifer two years old must produce
25O.6 pounds of butterfat in a year
to qualify and the requirement.. is in
creased tenth of a pound per day
until she reaches five years of age,
at which time and thereafter it re-.
mains at $50 pounds of butterfat per
year. At three years it is 2S7 pounds
at four years 1885 and at five years
old $50 pounds.
BY having the production weighted
in this fashion cows varying in age
from two years up can be compared.
This plan of weighing is on the basis
adopted by the Holstein Breeders
Association of America and in that
way is standardized
Improvement has been made in the
care and management of circuit
herds during the ID years and on
that account the daughters may have
had some advantage over their dams
by reason of the better care given.
but that is probably offset by the
dams having more years to try for
record than the younger daughters.
To measure the improvement made
by King Wa Wa Segis Pontiac 1862,
a hull born February 5, 1916, Prof.
Shepherd has taken twelve Of the
daughters Of this sire which COM
pleted the 1923 seasons test and one
from the 1922 test and compared
them with their dams.
They show an improvement over
their dams by an average Of 39.1
pounds of butterfat per year or 1l.75
per cent.
1T looks like the circuit had made
no mistake in retaining this herd sire
for the ninth year of continuous SER
vice." Mr.. Shepherd says. "He has
been used on eight circuit herds"
The gradual climbing up of 20
pounds in the average yield of the
hest circuit cows by means of hered-
ity has been accomplished by re-
tanning herd bulls that sire good
performing daughters.
Following is a partial roster of
circuit sires: Dora Sir Gem used
for six years on three herds, Hem
gervold Ormsby DeKol used for
eight years on four herds, Sir Pet
critic Ormsby Mercedes 18th used for
three years on two herds, Colantha
Johanna Beets used for seven years
on three,herds, sSir Korndyke Glen
used for four years on two herds,
King Wa Wa SegissP Pontiac used for
nine years ON eight herds and Har-
riot Johanna Homestead King used
for eight years on eight herds.
"Many herd bulls which breeders
aye and the producing world can
ill afford to lose," the stockman de-
clared, "are sent to the SHAMELESS
because they are old enough to have
become self-reliant, self-willed, or
in plain language, cross, while the
knife and shambles are spared to
the quiet, mediocre and to the young,
unknown sire that is bearing down
some herd or holding it at a dead
level.
$50 long as breeders of cattle in
sist on starting out with yearling
and Of allowing the tried and proven
sires to be slaughtered inst that long
will the wheels Of progress by
breeding be retarded. y ~
"The average butterfat yield for
all New Salem circuit cows for the
calendar year 1923 was 234.2 pounds
and it must not he concluded that the
whole of the circuit herds are ap-
preaching the 409.3. pound mark of
the 116 best daughters or even the
1901 pound mark of their DAMS best
years. The ranking herd, that of
Charles HOLE, however, averaged
41O.5 pounds of butterfat per cow
for the calendar year 1928.
'Not every circuit herd comes up
to its possibility any year.
ITO the inexperienced it may seem
a strange procedure to take the best
record for year which a COW has
made in a life time as her measure.
can only say that it is customary
To lnnea SIRE a sda il.xt cn5s, th,r hnr hest