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Show o , MIXING BREEDS. Strangely enough the average American Am-erican farmer has been persistently engaged in making a complete hodgepodge hodge-podge of his cattle for a hundred ywtrs or more. Go on to any farm almost, and one will sec all sorts and sizes", all kindfe of color, showing that the Owner has followed the mixing idea in his breeding. This is all wrong, if the farmer is after the most profiU.hl'C dairy cattle he can produce. Tf such farmers were students of the laws of heredity, they would know better. Occasionally, but rarely, however, how-ever, is an out-cross from any estab-lif estab-lif bedtime of preceding productive of beneficial results. jot one fiarmcr in a hundred will hcmc .a breeder of registered cattle. As far as he will go is to purchase registered sire. If he will follow the experience of the most successful mien, who have thus established highly high-ly profitable herds, he will stick to the brood of 'the first bull. He can safeb brood each bull to his own heifers heif-ers If they arc strong and vigorous BWt when it comes to the breeding of the grand-daughters he should select se-lect Another sire of the same breed and of the same family. It dos not seem to have gotten into in-to the comprehension of most farmers farm-ers that the best results come from concentrating rather than scattering blood linos. In that way the tendencies ten-dencies of the sire and mother can be made to unite with each other in the resulting progeny. If farmers tnrt to grade up with Holstelns they should stick to Hojstgiusithc same with Jerseys, Ayrshires or Guernseys. The longer they breed in one line the . piore true to the breed typc,ajn,d col- or will their cattle become. This they will find to be n big advantage when they wish to sell any of their cattle. The other day wc received . letter from a man in a distant city who wished to purchase a grade Guernsey cOw. He was very particular about her being of full Guernsey type and color and would pay $20 more for Such a cow, even if she wcre.no better bet-ter as a milker than others of not so tfrontturicctS Guernsey type. The buyers who come to Wisconsin Wiscon-sin to purchase Holstcin cows for other states arc particular to demand cows that arc typical Holsteins. Such cattle the farmer cannot furnish if he has been flopping about breeding to one breed, then another. It will be a grand day for dairy cat-'llc cat-'llc when the farmers shall have informed in-formed themselves better on what is best in the line of a breeding policy. Hoard's Dairyman. |
