OCR Text |
Show THE MICHIGAN IDEA. Something has been said editorially editorial-ly and also in a special article in a recent Dairy Farmer about the Michigan Mich-igan method of boosting dairying. The pan of co-operative breeding undertaken un-dertaken by the MichiganStatc College Col-lege and fostered by its dean, Prof. R. S. Shaw, is certainly unique. A community is organized into a- cooperative co-operative breeding association controlling con-trolling about 120 cows. These ; arc divided into groups of about 40 cows each. It is not necessary that the 40 should belong to one farmer, nor yet to four. A farmer may have 5, 10, 20, or any number. The next step is to decide upon the breed most popular in the conwnunity. It is of supreme importance that all should agree upon a certain class of stock. Three registered bulls arc then pur- I chased, one .being placed with each block of cows. The cost of keeping these bulls is pro-rated according to the number of cows which each man has. At the end of two years it will be necessary to change the bulls in order to prevent inbreeding. IIcn is where the advantage of the block system comes in. The bull that was formerly with lot No. 1 is transferred transfer-red to lot No. 2, and the one that he supplants goes to lot No. 3. The bull that was with lot No. 3 goes to lot No. 1. In this way it would be possible pos-sible to keep a single sire for six years, thus insuring the most economical econo-mical use of stock. It is always preferable pre-ferable to keep a bull as long as he is of serviceable age because he is a known quantity, while the young i "" 1 bull is always something of an ex- 1. 'a I periment. 4 uiAnpthcr perfectly apparent .adyan-tagc .adyan-tagc of this system is the development develop-ment of- a community interest in a Single breed. It is always advisable Ijho create an interest in dairy stock, but it is especially profitable when a number of men in the same community com-munity -can work together for the i development of the same class of Stock. Kimball's Dairy Farmer. r-' |