280 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF M. A. C. 



GRADE DAIRY HERD. 



R. S. SHAW AND A. C. ANDERSON. 



Bulletin No. 238. 



The plans for this work were established in 1904 and the herd of 

 twenty cows purchased in October of that year. In September, 1905, 

 Mr, Anderson was placed in charge of the herd and has compiled the 

 data and prepared this report for publication. 



In maintaining a grade dairy herd at this institution two chief 

 ends are sought. First and foremost to show objectively how the 

 common dairy stocks of this state can be improved as to quantity 

 and quality of milk production by a rational and continued system of 

 up grading; and second to show the effect of careful feeding and man- 

 agement upon average, common, or even inferior dairy animals. While 

 the stocking of farms with pure bred dairy aninaals is desirable and 

 strongly advised, it is. generally recognized that the great mass of im- 

 provement among dairy cattle must come from intelligent up-grad- 

 ing. In selecting the foundation stock for a grade dairy herd atten- 

 tion was given first to the health and general physical characteristics 

 of each individual selected. It is preferable to start with animals 

 of good constitution, even though they have only moderate tendencies 

 to milk giving, than to sacrifice these features in any degree in the 

 attempt to secure abundant milkers at the start. Care was also taken 

 to secure animals which should be fairly uniform. To accomplish 

 the desired ends with the material available in the Michigan markets 

 it was thought best to purchase twenty grade Shorthorn cows. While 

 none of these cows possessed a large percentage of Shorthorn blood, 

 they all had enough to give the evenness and uniformity sought in the 

 foundation herd. 



These cows were purchased in the fall of 1904 and dropped their 

 first calves early in the winter of 1904-5. Their first crop of calves 

 was used for feeding purposes and formed no part of this experiment. 



For breeding purposes the herd is divided into four groups or sub- 

 herds of five animals each. One of these groups is to be bred con- 

 tinuously to Jersey bulls, and the female progeny bred in the same 

 line. Another of the groups is to be bred continuously to Holstein 

 bulls and the female progeny bred in the same line. The third group 

 is to be bred in the same way to Guernsey bulls and the fourth to 

 Shorthorn bulls. 



As soon as the heifers come to maturity they will be used in the 

 herd, and will gradually replace the older stocks. 



The execution of those plans will require time, and the results will 

 accumulate somewhat slowly. In the meantime, reports will be made 

 annually of the milk and butter product, and the food consumption of 

 the foundation herd. 



