78 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



It is a misfortune to have to use untested bulls, but somebody 

 must test them before their ability to transmit the qualities of 

 the stock from which they were bred can be known. 



"How long would I keep him?" — If his get were not good 

 I would get rid of him as soon as I knew it. 



If he got me a lot of heifers that developed into good cows, 

 with clean udders, and capacity to do, I would keep him as long 

 as I could without inbreeding far enough to interfere with the 

 strength and size of his get. 



"How far would I inbreed?" — I do not know. 



At the college we have five heifers that are from one to two 

 years old, whose father is their grandfather. They are the only 

 ones we have. I think I have never seen a lot of stronger 

 heifers. 



"Do blood elements which are related, fuse and unite in the 

 offspring, with greater ease, than unrelated blood?"— I think 

 so, and yet, I would be far from advocating indiscriminate 

 inbreeding. 



I believe we should have great breeding establishments where 

 the purpose should be to supply bulls for the breeding of busi- 

 ness cows. I would have those establishments run on a plan 

 that would keep the animals as much of the time in the open air, 

 in winter, as they could be comfortable, and I would give free 

 pasture runs to the cows, instead of keeping them tied up in 

 the stables and wearing blankets all summer to fit them for the 

 fall show rings. 



That old relentless law of Nature which caused the inferior 

 animals to succumb to the hardships of life and the weaker 

 bulls to go down in the battle for mastership placed at the head 

 of every group of breeding animals, a master who was the best 

 of his kind. 



In selecting the heads of our herds we should apply that same 

 rigid rule of selection, and depend on his vigor as an mdication 

 of that prepotency, that shall enable him to transmit to his get 

 the artificial milk producing capacity nf his mother, in com- 

 bination with the hardihood of his father, in such measures 

 that he will contribute more than his half to his dauehters. This 

 I believe to be the bedrock principle on which the upbuilding of 

 our dairy stock rests. 



