BREEDING BETTER CATTLE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 December 1928, Page 14

BREEDING BETTER CATTLE

AMERICAN TEST RESULTS. AN INTERESTING FARM. Each successive year the fact that graziers' in. New Zealand are not paying the requisite attention to breed in the raising of beef cattle is becoming increasingly evident. Beef offerings &% most stock sales to-day are' mostly made up Of a motley assortment, and tuny straight line of beef cattle commands immediate attention, generally to sell at premium prices. "While it is admittedly' not always possible or sound to use only the best class of cow for breeding purposes, there is little or no excuse for using low grade bulls, says am. exchange. Every practical farmer is tired of the oft reiterated platitudes regarding the value of high-grade bulls, and the fact that the sire is largely responsible for the quality of the offspring. At the present juncture, however, when there is an admitted tendeniey to' neglect beef breeding in favour of dairying, and when even many dairymen, could pay considerably more attention to their selection of sires, results Of experiments having a bearing on this question carried on in a small way in. U.S.A. make interesting reading for the practical man on the land.

Twenty years ago one of the most ardent advocates of the elimination of the inferior grade sire in the State of i Missouri was the late W. R. Nelson, founder and proprietor of the- ‘ ‘ Kansas Star.” He demonstrated his interest in a practical way and no main ha's' done more in that State to assist the "cattleraising industry'. In 1913 he gave over a large farm' for a. 30-year trial on what could be done to improve common cattle by the use of good purebred bulls.

So striking has been the lesson taught, even in the short 15 years Sni-a-Bar Farm has been in operation, that the place h'as become world-famous. It is'visited by students and teachers from all over the globe; the Govern ment of Canada has studied its management with a view to starting a similar illustration in their Dominion; and the better sires campaign, held iu its own and tributary States ha'vo found it a potent tact or in their success. Sni-a-Bar Farms is a familia'.r word now to those persons interested im live stock improvement. Mr Nelson began his demonstration with 200 common red cows, of Shorthorn C'haracf eristics, purchased at the Kansas City ' stockyards. These cows were either in calf, or had calf at side from the breeding of the former owners, who had sent the co;ws in for slaughter. They were placed bn a. farm containing plain sheds similar to other farms.

Purebred 1 Shorthorn bulls, of good individuality, were, bred to these common cows at Sni-a-Ba.r Farms. The heifer offspring are also bred to purebred bulls. There are now at Sni-a-Bar. Farm's cows of the third cross and calves of the fourth cross, ate well as several-hundred new purchases of common cows tp continue the foundation sifcoek. The demonstration herd now totals more than one thousand aipimails. A comparison of the f oundation„co.w.s ; their farm-bred calves, and the first, second and third crosses' made with purebred brills at Sni-a-Bar Farms, give a graphic picture of improvement. The first cross shows a broadening of the back, widening of the rump, thiefcening of the flesh, shortening of legs and neck, and oi general betterment in quality. Further crosses intensify the improvement in these ibeef characteristics. Marked advancement in uniformity', type' and colour is noted as the cros'seprogress. ,

The cow herd ait Sni-a-Bar Farms is run on grass in the summer, and roughed through the winter on ihay. No grain is fed the females. Calves run with their dams until weaned, when tfo* heifers are grazed) and the steer calves put on feed. Ail the steers aire sold fat; the heifers are retained in the herd.

Fifteen years’ experience in .grading up beef cattle at Sni-a-Bar Farms lia* yielded the following results atad conclusions:—-

(1) The use of purebred sires of acceptable quality results in successive improvement in the quality of the calf crop, as shown by confor mat ion and market price. (2) The greatest single step toward im- j proved quality, compared with com- > man Stock, occurs in the first eros*'. Subsequent crosses increase quality and market value still more, though in less marked degree. (3) Quality and the.- best market priceare approximately in proportion to the number of crosses o'f pure breeding. (4) After the third or fourth cross the offsprings 'compare very favourably with purebred stock in conformation, and only -except ion ally good sires can bring about further improvement. (5) Steers sired by purebred bulls at Sni-a-Bar Farms have topped the market 3.6 out of 20 times, and have four times been the highest for the year to date of sale on-, the Kansas City market for fat yearling steers. I (6) Early maturity is a conspicuous re- 1 suit of beef cattle improvement through the use of purebred sires. (7) Steers raised at Sni-a-Bar Farms as a pant of the demonstration have sold consistently for about Ss a. 1001 b moTe than: phe average of other cattle for the same market, and during the .period of high prices in 3 938 for as high as 25s a , hundred pounds above the market average.

(8) The demonstration shows clealrly ■that breeding is a dominant factor in production of high-quality cattle, and that 'good feeding and management will not return the best results, unless the element of good breeding is present also. (9) In grading up farm cattle, the quality of cattle is approximately in proportion to' the individual excellence of the sires used, heme© the importance of selecting bulls possessing qualities sought for in the offspring. (10) Attendance ait the grading-up deanenstratiens has increased from about 500 persona in. 1917. to 10,000

in recent years, indicating a wide public recognition of the practicability of rasing better cattle. The writer wqnld not suggest that there is rooim for the establishment of further demonstration farms in this Dominion,. Even at the moment there is room for doubt as to whether much of the money now going toward costly experiments and the maintenance Of big establishments purporting itb be wor-k- ---• i'riig in the interests of the m'ain on the land could not be spent to better advantage in other avenues. The fact remains, however, that too great premin- : once cannot ibe given to’ the undoubted benefits which follow the use of highgrade sires.