THE DAIRY HERO.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 3173, 2 December 1927, Page 8

THE DAIRY HERO.

SUCCESSFUL BREEDING,

IMPORTANCE OF GOOD BULL,

Successful dairy farming depends on successful breeding, as well as intelligent feeding, says the Live Stock Journal. It is impossible to make a poor cow good by feeding, so it is necessary to first have a cow that has the ability to produce milk. Then by intelligent feeding it is possible to produce milk economically. If the prospective dairy farmer has no animals of any sort and is free to select, it is very important that he bear in mind clearly the value of the dairy type animal; that is, one showing capacity for consuming feed, with lean, angular form, denoting absence of too great a flesh-forming tendency, with udder and milk veins well developed, and with an alert temperament and strong constitution. If the prospective dairy farmer has on hand a herd of cows of unknown ability he should at once take steps to find the profitable cows. A very poor cow is no better than no cow at all, and should be disposed of at once. Af ter that the calves from the best cows should be raised, and if a good purebred bull is kept considerable improve men should be noticed with each generation. Considerable attention should be given to the selection of the breed. Generally speaking, the breed to keep is one of the well-established breeds that is most common in the immediate neighbourhood where the particular farmer is located.

In starting a herd of dairy cows there is no problem of greater importance and none which offers greater difficulties than the selection of a herd bull. Too many formers forget that the bull is half of every offspring produced in -the herd. With a poor cow in the herd you get one poor calf; with a poor bull you are liable to get all poor calves. Nothing but a purebred bull should be kept. He should be a good individual, having plenty of constitution, vigour arid masculinity, and should be true to the type of the breed he represents. Of equal importance to the individuality of the bull is his pedigree. He .should be from stock that have demonstrated their ability to produce milk. In buying purebreds it should be borne in mind that certain strains or families arc much better than others. The old saying that it is the strain rather than the breed is very true. Breeders should buy animals from good strains or families for best results, paying particular attention to the top crosses for the last few generations.