THE HEAD OF THE HERD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1423, 8 June 1899, Page 4

THE HEAD OF THE HERD.

The following article in the “Australian Farm and Home " contains a lot of sound advice in a few words, and applies to all kinds of stock:

“There is a common expression amongst breeders of high-class cattle that ‘ the bull is half the herd.’ The expression is a perfectly true one, and can be applied in a wide sense by saying that ‘ the male is half the herd/ no matter what kind of animals you may be referring too. - “ There is no question that no single step in the breeding proposition is of greater importance than the selection of the male. If he be an indifferent or poor animal, then no< matter how carefully the females have been selected, the influence and results will be in the downward direction. On the other hand, if the male be a first-class animal of the proper kind, he .will be able to influence the character of the progeny to a greater extent than onehalf.

“ The present is a good time to- discuss matters relating to the dairy herd. I will therefore in a general way proceed to discuss the selection of the male for the purpose of stockbreeding where the value of the progeny has to be considered. In order to bring out the different points more clearly, I will divide the subject into six different heads. " 1. The male should always be strictly masculine in appearance and disposition. This is just as desirable as that females should be feminine in their character. He should have an alertness and an air of proudness that are indicative of nervous force and stamina, as well as of muscular vigour. The eye should be bright as well as kindly. The head should be carried rather than allowed to hang, and the motion of the feet should be springing and quick rather than slow.

“2. lii the second place, the male'should be typical of his kind to as gfeat degree as can be obtained within the limitations of the buyer’s means. Almost every stockbreder feels it necessary to be saving in his purchases. But one of the poorest places do save money is in buying a /male. Said a prominent pig-breeder to me not long .ago, ‘ My greatest mistake in my breeding business was in ' trying t'o ; save a few pounds on the purchase of a'boar.’ He had ben offered two boars, one at £2i and one at ,£lO. He had the money to buy either. They were both good animals, but one not quit.e so good as the other. He bought the cheaper boar, and has regretted it just once, that has been all the time. The cheaper boar bought proved only a fair breeding animal, while the animal left on account cf the difference in price proved one of the greatest sires of his breed, and oile of the most valuable. Such errors are very common—more common, perhaps, than we think, as results are not always as clearly shown as in this instance. „

“ 3. The animal selected should, as a rule, be of the same breed and character as the females to which he is to be mated, but of higher type and better character throughout, that improvement may be expected in the get. . 1 am firmly convinced that beter results, as a rule/follow in the line of progressive grading than in crossbreeding or more indiscriminate breeding. Especially is this true if some of the get are to be used as breeding animals in their turn. Although I pin my faith to having the same breed on both sides, yet it is undoubtedly true that some results of crossbreeding in certain lines have been exceedingly good. . “ 4. The male should be of good ancestry, and should be a good exponent of the ancestry. An authority says:—‘The upgrade in breeding is not through the crossbred bull/ and the statement is true as gospel. Pedigree is not a name to conjure with. It has only one meaning. Pedigree is merely a record of ancestry. We cannot safely expect good results from any male, however good he may appear, unless we know that his good qualities are more than skin deep. They must be bred in blood, and be due to his ancestry, otherwise he is likely to fail in their transmission. The most that we can require of a good male is that lie be prepotent, and 1 say advisedly it is not safe to expect prepotency of any male except his good qualities be his by inheritance. Tim animal without a pedigree may have just as good an ancestry for butter-producing qualities as the pedigreed animal, but he is not likely to have, or the record of his ancestry would have been preserved; and unless there is a record of ancestry how are we to know what it may have been. “ 5. No male should be used which has any outstanding defect. No animal is perfect. The most perfect specimen obtainable will have some defect, possibly very slight, but some part we would like to have a little better. Do not discard a male, then, on account of minor deficiencies. But a glaring fault should disqualify for breeding purposes. And beware of mating male and female having the same shortcoming. Select the male with the view to overcoming the weak points of the females. If this rule be followed, defects will disappear in time, if not at the first effort. “6. Any male for breeding purposes should have strong constitution and great vitality. These are absolutely imperative. They are of paramount importance, as without them we cannot be certain of prepotency; we are not sure of the animal’s ability to endure the strain put upon him, and tlie progeßßy inherit weaknesses which again unfit them for usefulness. “ I have not tried to enumerate these essential qualities of the breeding male in the order of their importance. They are almost of equal importance, like the strength of links in the chain. If one link is weak, the chain is weak; and lacking any of these vital points, the male animal should be discarded for reproducing his kind. “When writing this article I have had the breeding of a dairy herd in my mind; but the principles which apply in tlie case of a male for breeding purposes in a dairy herd apply with equal truth to the selection of a male, no matter whether it be a horse, a rani, or a boar.’’