I40 AGRICULTURE Of MAINE, 



and stick to the breed which is best adapted to his condition. 

 Some grade cows are better producers than some pure bred 

 cows but it does not follow that grade cows as a class are better 

 producers than pure bred cows. 



To increase the production of a dairy herd the owner must 

 first of all decide upon a particular breed. If he expects to 

 make the profit from his herd through the sale of dairy products 

 and dairy stock his choice should be one of the four dairy 

 breeds, Holstein, Ayrshire, Guernsey or Jersey. He should 

 select the breed which he likes best and which is best adapted 

 to his conditions, taking into consideration the general condi- 

 tions of his farm, and the market for his products, whether he 

 wishes to sell milk, cream or butter. If he expects to sell dairy 

 stock he should also consider the demand for and adaptability 

 of the breed selected for the section of the country in which 

 he is located. A pure bred registered bull should be placed at 

 the head of the herd. Without doubt the many grades and 

 ■cross bred bulls found in ^Vlaine are in a large measure respons- 

 ible for the low average production of the Maine cow. Statis- 

 tics gathered from no farms in New Hampshire, showed that 

 only 30 or 27.3% had pure bred bulls, and doubtless a similar 

 condition prevails in Maine. Not only grades of dairy breeds 

 were found but also grade bulls of beef breeds were found 

 heading herds producing market milk. Such practices will 

 never increase production. We must not lose sight of the 

 specific work an animal is to do. It can no more be expected 

 to raise good trotting horses by breeding to draft stallions than 

 it can be expected to raise good producing dairy cows by breed- 

 ing to beef bulls. The greatest, most rapid, and cheapest 

 improvement in Maine dairy herds and increase in production 

 cannot come through the buying of high priced dairy cows but 

 through the purchase of bulls of dairy breeds with dairy 

 qualities. A good pure bred bull used on grade cows is sure to 

 give improvement, as the strong characters of the pure bred 

 bull will predominate in the oflfspring much more than the 

 weaker blood of the grade cow. 



The fact that a pure bred animal is registered and has a pedi- 

 gree is not always a guarantee of excellence. A pedigree is a 

 family history often of several generations. The real value in 

 buying a pure bred animal lies in the fact that it gives an oppor- 

 tunitv to studv each individual which has contributed to the 



