BUREAU OF ANIMAL, INDUSTKY. 205 



CATTLE BREEDING. 



HOLSTEIN CATTLE. 



The work of the Holstein breeding circuit in North Dakota iq 

 cooperation with the State experiment station has been conducted 

 along the same hnes as heretofore. All the cattle in the circuit were 

 tested with tuberculin during the year, and several herds showed 

 reactions. The reacting cattle are to be disposed of. 



A year's record of all cows in the herds was completed January 1, 

 and the approximate cost of production of butter fat determined. 

 Some of the purebred cows produced over 500 pounds of butter 

 during the year. Several heifers have been placed in the Advanced 

 Registry during the year, and all of the more promising cows and 

 heifers will be tested for advanced registry next yesiT. 



Seven members of the circuit have built silos during the year, none 

 of whom possessed them before becoming members of the circuit. 



The number of purebred Holsteins owned by members of the 

 circuit is 107. 



MILKING SHORTHORNS, 



Four herds have been included in the investigations in breeding 

 milking Shorthorn cattle during the past year in cooperation with the 

 Minnesota Experiment Station, and the experiment station bulls 

 were used somewhat during the year in three other herds. The 

 general progress made in the work for the year has consisted mostly 

 in the improvement made by the cooperators in the care and manage- 

 ment of the herds. This has resulted in growing the young animals 

 better, and in much improvement in the milk and butter-fat produc- 

 tion of the cows on the circuit. 



The two sires, Chief of Glenside No. 285899 and Beau of Glenside 

 No. 285898, have been continued in the service. The calves produced 

 by them are developing satisfactorily from the standpoint of confor- 

 mation. Since no daughters by these sires have come into milk as 

 yet, no knowledge of their abihty to transmit their milking uiheri- 

 tance is at hand. 



In addition to these two sires, several of their sons, out of approved 

 dams, have been farmed out to prospective cooperators who should 

 be taken into the circuit as soon as they have a sufficient number of 

 females of producing age. 



The experiment station and one of the cooperators have purchased 

 jointly the bull Clay Johnson No. 330890, a 3-year-old sire com- 

 bining meat conformation. Shorthorn character, and milking hereditj 

 to a rare degree. This sire has no daughter in milk as yet, but his 

 get are showing up well individually. 



All heifers produced by approved dams are being reared. The bulls 

 produced have been disposed of as follows: Those not showing suffi- 

 cient individual merit, and those out of low-producing dams, have 

 been rejected and castrated. Those from profitable milking dams 

 that developed well individually have been sold to breeders in the 

 usual way. A few from high-producing dams of satisfactory con- 

 formation have been reserved to the circuit and used somewhat on 

 other herds. 



