Bulletin Volume 2-5; V. 7-8 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1902 Excerpt: ...to you. To me (and I think you will find it so to you) the breeding part of the dairy business is the most interesting. Yet we have a class of dairymen (none of whom are likely in this assembly) whose only policy is to buy, milk and then kill. Had I the time I would like to pay my respects to this class of dairymen, but will only take time to say that I have no use for such a policy, even though it may make more cold, hard cash, but this policy also does its utmost to destroy the dairy industry, and if followed to any great extent generally it would destroy it. By all means raise your best calves; you will find you can raise much better cows than you can buy, and you will also be doing good to the whole community. Before closing this paper I want to give you one example of breeding, and you will pardon me for taking it from my own herd, but it illustrates a point which I wish to bring out. When I was about twelve years old I began breeding grade Jerseys, the first cow bought being represented as a seven-eighths Jersey, and I then had access to a firstclass Jersey sire. For some years my breeding of this family was quite successful, and when I grew older I began selecting the sire more carefully. But upon one occasion a descendant of this old cow was taken from my herd and crossed with i Jersey bull that was supposed to be a fine one; the result of the cross was a heifer calf, and is now a sixvear old cow, so far inferior to her dam in every respect that she would never be recognized. She simply looks what she is--reverted many generations to some back ancestors. And yet she is not entirely unprofitable. I have several times crossed this cow with my own bulls, and her oldest calf has gone right back to the old type and is the very best grade cow in my herd; ...