Show w V IT PAYS TO GRADE UP THE DAIRY HERD blood tells in the profits of the dairyman by otto F hunziker dairy husbandman indiana experiment station the depressing influence of poor cows upon production and profits has often been pointed out it remains tor us to measure the force of pure dairy blood when persistently applied in enlarging the profit making capacity of the herd it is a reasonable assumption that most men keep cows for profit though it Is a fact that many fall of their object whether they know it or not there may be several caus es for bad results namely inferior animals inadequate care or a corn of both certainly a cow lacking dairy elements in her make up can never under the most favor able conditions perform well at the pall and even though she were liber ally endowed with them at birth im proper rearing or insufficient care later in life would necessarily preclude satisfactory performance on her part while it Is doubtless true that many cows make poor records through no fault of their own we are forced to conclude that such cases are somewhat exceptional and that after all most poor records signify inherent in in view of a decidedly skeptical attl tude on the part of many milk pro shows a difference of 64 pounds in favor of grading the question next arising Is waa the production by the graded group more or less economically secured than by the reference to table no 38 will show that while it costs slightly more to feed the graded cows they returned nearly twice as much profit as the oth era after allowing tor differences in cost of food there remains 1663 per BOW in favor of systematic grading As a further point in this connection table no 39 shows that the graded herds produced their butter tat at ex sample case and apparatus for milk testing on the farm acely three and one halt cents less per pound than the herds there la a trite saying that the bull Is halt the herd it Is not too much to affirm however that it breed ing in one line Is carefully followed he may be the whole of it enough has been shown from the figures avail able to give a glimpse of the wonder tul possibilities that pure bred dairy sires otter the milk producer while in the cases which have just passed under our observation there Is a alt ferance of 64 pounds it simply andl cates that under favorable circum stances the continued use ot pure TABLE NO 37 i the influence of improved dairy blood upon production average annual butter fat yields in average annual butter at yields in herds where systematic grading herds where systematic grading has been followed several years has been little practiced or ab sent altogether abl lb no herd butter fat no herd foutter ft u 7 2692 2 1828 8 2668 5 1899 16 2803 6 2438 17 2912 11 2241 18 20 2866 18 2952 23 1835 19 2596 23 2209 30 2649 33 8 aage difference per cow in favor of systematic grading 64 pounds dubers toward infusion of pure dairy blood as a source of greater profits tables nos 37 and 38 have been ar ranged we desire to show what the blood of pure dairy breeds can do when given an opportunity not only as it affects gross production but also its cost the herds already discussed have been classified on the basis of the presence or absence of persistent or systematic grading either through the use of pure bred dairy sires or the addition to the herd of high grade or pure bred females wherever there has been any doubt the herd has been given the benefit of it in one or two bred sires of the same breed can be made to increase the average prodoc alon ot butter at at least pounds per cow which la equivalent to rals ing the earning power of each 35 to 30 per year even after the merits of pure bred alrea have been fully explained and each step proved some will hesitate to forsake the ways of their ancestors the scrub beef or so called dual purpose bulls are looked upon with too much abor by milk producers they are a delusion and a snare and their use cannot lead to profitable results grade bulla of an approved TABLE NO 38 the influence of improved dairy blood upon profits average annual cost of food and average annual cost of food an 1 profit per cow in herds chero profit per cow in herds chero systematic grading has been followed systematic grading has been little several years practiced or absent altogether no herd profit no herd cost of food profit 7 2 8 5 16 2583 6 2222 17 11 2233 18 20 18 23 19 2633 23 2205 30 2666 33 aage 1962 difference in profit 1642 difference in cost of food 79 in favor of systematic grading 1563 TABLE NO 39 cost of one pound of butter fat group cost grading partial or no grading difference cases grading other than the purchase of cows has been of such abort duration that the herd had to be placed in the lot the object has been to illustrate the advantages of persistent grading there are seven graded and nine berda in table no 37 the average yield of butter fat for graded hardg Is aso pounds per cow while for adeil it la pounds this breed must not be used even though they look right to uee them Is to breed down rather than up dairy men are too much guided by the binl elal cost of a sire A bull that Is not intrinsically worth more than 25 Is ot doubtful value as a breeder while the argument Is commonly advanced that producers cannot afford high priced bulla alie truth is the cheap ones are too expensive at any price |