THE RURAL WORLD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 637, 24 January 1914, Page 6

THE RURAL WORLD.

COST OF AN INFERIOR BULL. The average farmer who is raising his own dairy calves little appreciates the net cost of a cheap or inferior bull, when in search of an animal to head the herd. This is well illustrated in a herd of dairy cattle of which we have very accurate data as to the flow of milk and the amount of butter fat produced during the past four generations. In this particular herd (writes Professor Harpur. of the Cornell University, in the American Agriculturist), the condition, such as the breeding of the cows, the feeding and the management, were a 3 even throughout the four generations as could be obtained in practice, so that any marked increase or decrease in the production of the offspring can be credited to the sire used. The first sire under observation got three producing females that averaged 3901b of fat year. The Recond bull even excelled the fir 3t, as he got nine producing females that averaged 3921b of fat a year. The third bull used was rather inferior, and illustrates the point at issue. He got eight producing femr-les that averaged only 285 bof fat a year. This is a fallingoff of 1071b per cow a year. For the eight females this means a loss of 8561b ofb utter fat a year, which at 20d a lb means an annual loss of £7l 6s 8d so long as these cows are retained. If they are retained five years after they begin to produce, which is, perhaps the average length of time for animals of this kind to breed, then the loss amounts to over £350. This represents the actual loss to the farmer on account of the use of thiH particular sire. From this illustration it would seem that the farmer or dairyman in search of an animal to head his herd should be very careful in his choice. He should not trust to luck but should select an animal whose ancestors have been uniformly noted for their high production.