BUILDING UP A DAIRY BREED.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2259, 25 May 1881, Page 3

BUILDING UP A DAIRY BREED.

It is greatly to be regretted, became it is a great loaa, not only to the farmers indivividnally, but to the country, that bo little attention is still paid to the breeding of a superior class of dairy cows. Go where you please throughout our land and you will find it impossible to pick up a good herd of these. You will see plenty of cows which are recommended by their owners as first-rate for the dairy, and undoubtedly they honestly believe it, but come to put these to the test of the quantity of milk given and weight of butter or cheese mado from it, and very few out of all will prove profitable cows—that is to say, that will pay the interest on their cost, gradual depreciation in value by increasing age, for food consumed and fair wages for the labor bestowed in taking care of them, and manufacturing and marketing their milk product. All this I have proved from my own experience. Arranging to go into the dairy business some years ago, I determined on purchasing about thirty firstclass cows to begin with. I accordingly visited for this purpose those districts which had the highest reputation for breeding such. After keeping these, thoroughly testing them with extra care and keep for one season, I found that not more than half of them would leave me any profit, and the other half came considerably short of reasonable expectation. I then determined to breed up a herd myself. My first move was to get a fine compact shorthorn bull of a milking family to cross on these cows. The heifers of this cross gave a considerably increased quantity of milk, and kept up its quality. Wishing then to make butter entirely from it, I found it would bo necessary to obtain richer milk, ond such as would give a good rich color in winter os well as summer. In order to breed cows to do this I purchased a Guernsey bull of golden-colored skin and hair, and put him to my best-selected grade shorthorn heifers. From this cross I have got exactly what I wanted, which is a largo quantity of milk of extra rich quality from each animal I now keep in my herd. This pays handsomely, for such cows do not consume any more food than the first I bought elsewhere, and I get a largely-increased amount of butter annually from them ; and this being of a superior quality, I obtain a higher price for it in the market. Another advantage, it has always a quick sale; in fact, I can scarcely make enough of it to supply

my customer*. Most of the croubred cow* are nearly a* largo as full-bred shorthorns, and a few almost as fine of form, aa in choosing my Guernsey bull I had regard to hi* make-up a* wall as to dairy qualities of both sire and dam from which tie has descended. This is important to do, whatever may be the breed from which we select. There are good and poor animals among all these, and if wo wish to have a choice herd we must invariably grow up a valuable herd, every animal of which, when we may wish to sell, we can do so at once, and at a well-pay-ing price for the breeding and roaring.—G., in “ New York Tribune.”