Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 76, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 December 1911 — CA[?]MENT NEEDED INBREEDING COWS FOR DAIRY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CA[?]MENT NEEDED INBREEDING COWS FOR DAIRY

Animals That Produce Pound of Butter and the Cheapest Are the Ones to Keep—One Reason Why So Many Herds Do. Not Return Profit From Their Food and Cost of Attendance. ’. ;

(By W. M. KELLY.)

There Is no phase of the dairy , business that needs more study or more careful management than does the breeding of the cow. Upon the cow depends success or failure and we must, after selecting her, look to her care and her feed, and to the handling of her products. The fact that dairymen have devoted more attention to other phases of their dairying than to the breeding and development of the cow is one of the reasons why so many of our dairy herds are not capable of returning a profit from thfeir food and cost of attendance.

We are often asked which is the best breed of dairy cattle to select for the dairy? To such men I would say that there is no best breed. Some think because they have Jerseys they are on the royal road to success. Others think that the Holsteins will bring prosperity to the farm. This is a sad mistake, for scrubs are very common among the purebreeds, and a pure-bred scrub Is without doubt the worst scrub of all. Select cows having individual excellence as determined by the Babcock test and scales In starting a herd. Better and more uniform results of breeding may be secured If the animals are of one type of breed and great care should be exercised In getting individuals which possess to a certainty the characteristics we desire to perpetuate in the herd. What we dairymen want is a herd of cows that will give a profit at the pall, whether pure-breds or grades. The ones that will produce a pound of butter or cheese the cheapest are the ones that we want to keep In our herds.

We have a number of improved breeds of dairy cows that the skill of years in their Perfection, but in adopting any of breeds we should consider the conditions and environments under which they have been developed In their original homes and then plan to make our care and feed and general management conform to the conditions under which the breed had been developed. If a man has Jerseys, give them Isle of Jersey care and feed for they cannot succeed on scrub fare and fodder. They were not intended, for that purpose.

The Jersey cow is a delicate, nervous machine and requires warmth, kindness and liberal feeding to make her profitable. If Holgtelns, are selected do not expect them to thrive on closely cropped, scanty pastures where they are compelled to rustle all day to gather sufficient food. Give them the care they were developed under, large amounts of succulent forage and well Cured hay, warm stables and kind treatment. You may get pure-breds if you can afford them, but, all farmers are not able to buy pure-breds. However, always use. a pure-bred sire, The breeding bull always represents half the value of the breeding power of the herd if it is desired to grow calves for the dairy. Select them from some of the wellknown families of the breed and be sure that he* possesses prepotency which gives promise of being a good calf-getter. A bull of this kind will give you excellent results lit improving the herd. Some of the best herds in the country are high grades that have resulted from the continued use of good sires. ... In order to be successful as breeders we must learn some of the lessons associated with our stock; have an ideal type in our and always in our selection and mating be seeking to improve the type and standard in our herd. ‘ The best special purpose animal is none too good. Nbver strive to produce a general purpose animal by mixing beef and dairy breeds. Alm to produce the animal whose special characteristic is the cheap production of a pound of butter or a gallon of milk. Always seek to have the crosses in harmony. Do not mate extremes. Vigor and constitution are two-essen-tials. Unless a cow possesses vigor in

constitution she will , make a poo* breeder. Do not Inbreed unless you have a ■definite object in view, such as intensifying some particular good quality and then do It by breeding the sire to some of his own get This should not be followed up too 1 closely. Plan to have the heifers drop their first calves at about 24 to 80 months of age. Their offspring will! be more vigorous and there will bo better results than by forcing an lmmature animal to bear progeny. Breed cows are large feeders. Feedl them a liberal ration of mllk-produo-Ing foods and give them the best of! care. Keep In mind that bad qual-i itles are more easily transmitted than! the good ones. {

A Prize Winning Jersey Helfer.