OCR Text |
Show BREEDING STOCK FOR DAIRY In Selection of Animals Real Test Must Be With Scales and Reliable Re-liable Babcock Tester. Prof. W. J. Kennedy of the Iowa station recommends the following in reference to the selection of breeding stock for the dairy: In selecting dairy cattle the real test must be the scales and the Babcock Bab-cock tester. The cow is a machine to convert food into milk; thus she must have a large middle and a strong constitution con-stitution to insure the best results. She must also have a large udder, t s J k AT"- S' : v v a n s. Vvf- ' Profitable Type. large milk wells, large crooked milk veins and good-sized teats. Her head should be clean and angular an-gular ln appearance, with the eyes standing out prominently. The neck should be rather long and lean in appearance. ap-pearance. The shoulders pointed and the backbone rather prominent. The skin should be loose and soft to the touch. In selecting herd bulls either mature animals which have already i demonstrated their worth as sires or younger animals from high-testing dams and sires only Bhould be used. The best and surest results will always al-ways follow the use of a mature sire which has sired heifers with good records. A good dairy bull should be kept until he is twelve or fifteen years old; in fact, as long as he is a sure sire. Real good sires are so rare that when we do find one he should die only of old age. All breeders of dairy cattle should secure yearly tests on each and every cow in the herd. Shorter tests do not really mean very much. It is the cow that stays by her job that is really valuable. |