OCR Text |
Show I t DAIRYING BREEDING AND FEEDING FOR f THE DAIRY TYPE. H (fExccrpts from an address by W. F. McSparran, Furniss, Pa., before the H Vermont Dairymen's Association.) H jOf -course we, do not .know, but wc. H can, easily, imagine that improvement H of breed was begun by man taking the cow and learning (some men have H not learned it yet) that she gave more milk when she had more feed. Then H no doubt her daughter, under the in-H in-H flitencc of a quieter life and fuller feeding, was a milking improvement upon the mother; and 50111c daugh-H daugh-H tcrs more of improvement than oth-H oth-H crs. The majestic "head of the herd" of course, severed domesticity and H spurned it, and maintained his wild H dominion on the hills, till some suc- ccssor grew robust enough to depose H him. Wc do not know to what extent these pioneer 'breeders practiced in- breeding, but we can imagine they followed it, under their methods, too closely until they saw 'its evil effects and then they flew off in tangent from it. For we notice in their lineal dc- scendants the breeders of our, present day scrubs, a borror of the practice of in-brccding. Now in-brccding in itclf is not to be condemned as ibc-H ibc-H yond excuse for being done, for in- bred improvements is one of the most important agencies at our command, when used wisely and in connection with favorable environment and ra- tional, continuous good feeding. First, wc must have in mind what to vs means dairy type. After wc liAvc fixed that well in mind and lm,vc a -proper realization of the fact that to, secure this type means probably a largetpart of a .rnan's years, and to have a stock of patience, industry and hope we may consider ourselves in H good shape and breed our dairy cows, The first breed improvement must liave been accomplished by fixing as a prepotent characteristic certain H traits in a stra'r or a family. The reason the first breeders made no progress in producing great milk cows was because of laGk of merit jn the sire, and lack, also, of prepotent ability on his part of impressing such W injerit as he may have pf vosscd on his offspring'; and I cm ..-ufMf no way in which his prepotency could have been secured, but iby the practice of inbreeding breeding a type selected male back to his dam, and then breeding breed-ing the type selected female offspring back to her sire, and from that matin" mat-in" or a scries of such matings, choosing, choos-ing, when ncaring maturity, a type of male progeny to use in service with sisters and half-sisters, tentatively, and freely with near and remote cousins. It is impossible here and with such time as I think you will allow me to take Up this aspect of the breeding question and follow it into in-to some of its important ramifications, but I may add that a great deal of the primary work here briefly outlined may be aaved the beginner in breeding, breed-ing, if he shall intelligently take up the work at the point to which some of our most careful and conscientious breeders have brought it. Thus he will save himself both time antd trouble. All over the country v are well established herds of different dairy breeds and from these he, can safely make his selection. The oalf that is to be a good dairy cow, certainly has a, right to be well born to be bred with an unquestionably unquestion-ably strong dairy record as an inheritance. inherit-ance. If the breeder is fortunate enough to own or to be able to acquire ac-quire meritorious cows of pure blood, carrying strains of high-producing capacity, and will use a. male of rich inheritance from great sires and dams not great in the show ring, but in the work of the dairy-- to such a man, if he have even ordinary gumption, breeding dairy type ani-mals ani-mals 13 a work .easy of accomplishment. accomplish-ment. But to the other man, the one who has not things ro ready made to his hand building up the dairy herd is not -0 easy as it may often look. It is this man, this representative of the great American class of farmers, who is eating his bread in the sweat of his face, who ean ill afford to make mistakes; this average, struggling, brave-hearted burdenrbcarer that ever should have concern that any riiessagc that is sent may reach. His cows may be a bunch a job lot carrying their unwritten pedigrees pedi-grees back to the watering places-breeding places-breeding operations oft the patient Jacob and, giving credit while it is due, I may say in passing, that Jacob wrfs probably the first extensive breeder to make a practical application applica-tion of one of the elements that in breeding operations wc now name environment. en-vironment. To the man with this assortment of unknowable cows, I have heard the advice sometimes given to sell the whole lot and invest the proceeds in as many good cows as the sunn will buy. Now, buying cows is one of the very last ways in the world to get good ones. My advice to such & man would be to gee into shape to feed those cows a full ration for a whole year. I do not know how it is with the brethren, ibut for myself I'll admit I am not smart enough to tell the worth of a cow by looking at her. They say the only way to know a woman is to live with her, and it is pretty much the same with the cow. She may be better than she looks. Then again she may be worse than she looks. As soon as you sec some cows you know they should have been steers. It is a waste of time and labor to fool with them. Get rid of them as quickly as possible they will take the bread out of your mouth; but the more promising ones may surprise you after you have fed them well for about a year and lived with them. Put them to the test of the scale and the Babcoqk. Shelter them from storms; be kind to them; in addition to feeding them abundantly do it regularly; don't forget the round-year full ration don't try to fool them on a short, dry pasture by piping them the tunc, "Consider, old cow, consider." con-sider." Better use the up-to-date version ver-sion "Corn fodder, old cow, corn fodder." If a scrub bull is used to head the herd, make him walk the chalk to the (butcher, and in his place put the best bull you can buy from the breed of your choice of dairy breeds. Feed and care for him right and it is likely he will not disappoint you. If a't maturity ma-turity he proves his worth, keep him in use for as many years as possible and until his successor has given proof of his right to the succession. If a matured, tried bull can be bought at the start, and "his papers fit" him, as my friend Collinwood loves to say,' so much tht better, Then you have begun to breed for dairy type. The functions of the dairy I cows arc hrce: From the food she 1 cats she must maintain her physical 1 wcllbeing; nourish and, develop her i unborn; and generally furnish milk I for her master. What la wonderful creature is the good cow. ut assuming that the calf has been bred right and has been strongly iborn, it then passes into the hands of the breeder to carry on the work. "All flesh is grass," it has been written. writ-ten. After being well-born all the calf-hcifcr-cow needs is care and feed. At this stage oomes in the necessity of wisdom and "patience. All" good looking calves do not make ; good cows. Dairy progress is not bc- fl wildcringly rapid and often the way of the progrcssor is hard. I It is supposed this calf carries the dairy type inheritance from its sire. In the sire, the type was established and encouraged, largely by environment environ-ment and feed, and these two forces must be operative in encouraging a proper development of the dairy tcn-1 tcn-1 dency in the offspring. Consequently I the calf and the heifer must be fed r with the dairy type in view. One popular conception of the 'dairy type I is a thin skin drawn over the skeleton I of a cow, but I say unto you, no man 1 tf has ever yet starved dairy qualities LI. into a calf or a cow, and it is not fll pi worth the beginner's while to make the experiment. But many a. good , cow has been st-arved into mediocrity by the stinginess or ignorance of her feeder. In the matter of a little more ife or less fat on the heifer or cow I may F I quote "Better the excess than the I deficiency." I It is well to remember that the i same character of feed that 'will en courage the cow into well doing as a milker is the kind that will develop I the heifer into a cow. A's I have said, if she is- big enough ' ' to become a mother, at 2 years or less of age, have her bred ibaok to her own Strong sire. Then in feeding the prcg- nant dairy heifer remember she must I make growth, also, and withhold not I fife: abundant and well-formed ration. 1 At this time remember, further, that f tfiis young thing is performing one of Rc most wonderful and beautiful t , marvels of the universe working out ' fjlie design of maternity taking on - hc obligations of motherhood, and 4 $le 's m yr hands, where I will ' leave her and wish you both well. f Hoards DaTryman. The Elgin Dairy, Salt Lake City, pays the highest market price for cream at all times and gives absolutely absolute-ly the correct test. We offer no premiums, for any farmer knows they pay the premium in the long run. We are doing an honest, legitimate business busi-ness and want your cream. Send your cream in Red oans and we will send you pay for all the cream delivered. de-livered. ' ELGIN DAIRY CO. |