COMMUNITY BREEDING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1676, 17 February 1913, Page 10

COMMUNITY BREEDING.

f ITS ADVANTAGE TO THE FARMER,

Witlu n now value of tho high-born sire, tho price of such animals is advancing to-such .a figure that the :: small-dairy-lamer cannot afford' to . inj; vest in an animal for himself, but there t :-/ . is no.'r6»sori "why. co : operatirin . between I- ,•••. neighbours wlioulcl. not overcome tho diffi-culty.-of getting high-class" sires for use f..-,- ■; . in grading up tho dairy herds. Comi,' iqunity-breeding proved a success when jr -. tried in tho .United States,, and thereJtpp*"> pears to be no reason why .it should riot r-- ' oo tho'saifiD here. The plan' as in-opera--several eeotions of.;'the. United t- States is very simple. Farmers may club y'"-.together in , ; an' 'association - and. buy, thr.ee f„ . ■or more puro bred dairy sires of the j «iuntt i; . - - "breed -and not related. These, sires'.are

. then placed in different; sections of. the community, each sire in the caro of a •: .dairyman selected.by members of; the association.. .Each. sire "Will '-bo /available r - the '-Bards; of :_a -number of different, herd 9 in 'which the total numbers of cows is from' ; so to 80; .' -In two. years,-'or..when their heifers are. olrf; enough to breed, -the .sires aro exchanged from one section to another, v. :Atter two years more the sires are ex-, changed again. . > ■ ■ -Ono Sire for Ten: Years.- - . • y -v - If there aro threo sires in the associa- ' '■■••tion they-may be/used for-six years with, system'; of exchange-;, without... any; ' y ! lijcessity.ijf -, in-breeding; if thero are five sires, .ten years. Good l bulls ' will thus be saorifice : when too . young :and before their) real value has . i been determined. Tho old and well proven - .; 6ire should .bo in.-'demand because his '• yrogeny wilLhavo demonstrated his' sterljng worth/' - . - ' . Briefly, the objects, and results of tho proposed associations'- might. be:: First,; to' ■ oncourage the raising of high grade.'dairy "j'-"'stock fro'm -pure. :bred sires. .- To create v. n. demand, for and open Channels-for the. salo -of surplus stock. ■ To "make possible . .the interchange, not - slaughter,' of (food ■breeding animals for which the owner has no further use.. To materially assist . -members in the best.methods of;;feeding ■;and care of stock to induce, uniform -and' ■ -efficient methods the "study of the principles of. breeding so ..that.. ani-Jnals-zof.- greater - value .will be produced." •! To help.dairy, farmers to :cooperate'.on >•:; » practical basis while still retaining -.. their individuality, . givo; -to- numer-., ■' localities superior . stocks ..and; breeds ; 4 ■ of v animals -which .will give.--them, - be- ■- ; < sides fame and pride in local affairs,'.largft i- profits' from tho. salo of high-class a'ni- ;,: mols. To - giro to every member who is ' selling milk or cream additional hand- ■ . foomo profits- from tho ' increased, produc-"tion-.ot milk:andibuttcr-fat. .To give to. ■;itho show, tho sale ring, v the advertising ;.. journal and the private . sale at overy ' • point fin:<iddtd!dignity and power for actstock;interests. •'.* - : ._ ' i'K, Dairymen - who will co-operate in {• this jv'i-.-Jf'ay wilK receive ;the greatest- ram'pensa- , tion • for their efforts, and will quickly bring the greatest development to tho ' ;.i' ; ;'<clairying .industry. ' ; ; 1 ; ■ -.■■■ ' " '■ Commentmjf on the advantages of. com- < ■ -m'nnity breeding, Mr. Charles F. 'Whittey,- • •'. of tHe .Dairy Division, ..Ottawa,, says: ■ -"Community breeding presupposes ' that . . every farmer In the district is ambitious- • innd broad-minde<l enough to .desiro ifor , U's own section of - tho country a marked -.-•nnd..-rApid.'.itnprovoment in its live atoflk; What-"1S" difficult' of individual achieve--1 !,ment is"easily accomplished ,by?/'a 'small measure of co-operation.-■ It us assumed when- wo talk ot introducing community -'-.breeding, that, the dairyman believes- in ; '. pure-bred sires, for no improvement in i.. the 'herd—can be expected from, tlie ■ -;"scrub." Possibly, however, the price - of tlio pure-bred he would like is prohibi- • tivo.. Here,' immediately,,the simple plan - 01, community breeding steps m .to help. -. Co-operation for Quality, ■ ; ,- i■ , Next.i/i importance in starting com-, . munity breeding .to-the necessary ©ducatioirup to an understanding of the ady vantages gained by; the use'of pure-"-.;-bred siresiis -that useful;. virtue, - finr . too , little practfeed, v co-operation, whioh'. may -be applied'tbitheipurchase of an,excellent ~ purebred, bo it noted. , . : ; Never l Should;' the to price of an inferior '. 'or grade, tempt 'us; -•i,-the great,.need is' improvement in'^herd • j quality so ,each individual ' female >-.! jmay be a profitable milker.'Tho immature y'lpoor, bull cannot effect any such-improve-niwit; "he mnn who builds for immediate profit ,and -future herd'.excellence - looks i for the good sire, even if the cost is high. ; Ijot no spider of delusive cheapness weave •" its -web across any /coruir of our ; mental : vision of tliis topic. The mferipr : or low grade blood Can bo ' overcome quickly by fixed purpose in •i breeding, by,itho .bhoi<x);purebred'sires ok tho breod that meets the requirements of < the locality. The hnlf-blbod can. only give •balf of himself to .his offspring, produc-,;-ring only 'a 'quarter" ; blood, so that 'still; -poorer-grades.eusue;. but with ,the..select , ;purebrecl male and the fairly , good grade ■ cow there, results a half-blood and 50 pe'f'- . ; : cerit. iniprovement in- the .first generation.. ~- lii, the sscoiid generation there will ;be •: ■j three-quarters blood and 75 per-cent, im- : i proy.ement, while; in the'fourth generation ' . therejw-ill not merely a half-blood,'but. a fifteen-sixteenths ■'blood; : with an im- " ;provoment. of; 93 ; per: cent., or such high. .-; grades •that, for practicalpurposes,the ! ..females are almost as good as'registered ;>:'stock. ■ -;)• - 1 i

A Great Danger from Scrub Sires. , One good reason why the scrub siro • - should bo rigidly avoided is because of tho remarkable working' out of ths principle of atavism, whereby the'.traits and,funcfions, often very undesirable, that marked Boni0 i remote ancestor' of-'the .poor sire, will ( , frequently crop out injthe bull's offspring/ : In poultry;lnil swine some ourious char-. ;SKteristic^'.'of,-'alien'blood hitve.been, dis?;.s;>erned ''eveti'-iallwl'teii and twenty .years... js'-too riiuph at stake in the modem - -high-class;business of dailyirig to risk tho oh«.ap'.'grailß^.'sire,.'there is no 'knowing ipflorer! qualities he will introduce jthat will take time, and expense to eradicate, besides"': cutting down immediate •' profits;' Tomisoi him is to breed' down. He .is first and last far itoo expensive'a ; 'proposifcioii;for.any. real-dairyman. ; . ■ The extfa'Value resulting from the uso j ' of the good purebred dairy sire has been figured out'So often that it should not be ;' : '.'neceskry to dwell ;oii. the point. , Pay for Bull First .Year., - v ■ '• If three,- or four "herds'.-' are concerned, . .. the;prioe of'a.fiist-class'-siro is far more ... than repaid' thefflrstyear. .The scrub bull/ ol ; ( 'tne. ;d_ual purpose-bull, will not, help the iu'diyidual in any':6omihuhity. to . . on extra incqme. , ;y . , \ One great iidyantiigo '.to' !: thV ivholo di - .■•. triot ai'isfiig' fto'in community'breeding 'is tlio fact : thut'buyers are attracted. .' No , one buyer wants to travel . inilea to -hunt • / out oripick up just a few casual _ good . fcpecimens, of : stock; V>ut ,aj the district gets known' for its own breed, there the 'buyers will flock, knowing'they can obtain ' , choico animals -in gfipdr quantities. .This fact is well known; in the older countries. l*o importer here would.dream of-scour-f l ' iiig Hereford for Ayrshires; neither for : ■ Guernseys 'would he.go Durham ..or ■ Devon. : ' 'Then, too, tho .pries obtained;,by the "■' community will necessarily ■ be botter as ■ tho cattle are of higher grade. We may rest assured that as community breeding is .practised, that district will 'get exdel.lent advertising. Practically any country can make a namo for itself, can' secure a .world-wide reputation as a centre for the ' -l>est typaiof cattle, just as quickly m thia ■"'commAnity breeding' is taken up in i ■ earnest. . .. - ~ Co-operation in this matter,-adds our contemporary, should appeal to every - dairyman. We all need the help of our fellowmon. It-is difficult, tedious, and expensive for an individual to build- no a Eamo and reputation:'as a brceller. Tho organisation of several men carries fnore woight and power to; accomplish dn end than the efforts of the several men work-- ■ ing independently. A pormnnent organisatioti of dairymen in any county with the fixed l-esolvo to eliminate, every scrub ' bull and to support 'community .breed; : ing will do untold good; , / . . Co-operafijVe' work also will assist. in arresting a(id stamping out disease.-;, will protect nil members in furclinsing as i well nsMn-sclling,stock,-and will quickly bring ppsperity to the district. ;