348 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Trempealeau county and the farm mortgages were held by outside par- 

 ties. Today the county has seven banks, with deposits from farmers 

 amounting to |426,000. The few mortgages still in existence are held 

 by the farmers within the county. Notwithstanding the fact that the 

 great bulk of the farm produce is fed to live stock, still this county now 

 ships more surplus grain than she did twenty years ago before dairying 

 began. In 1901, Trempealeau county shipped 1,191 carloads of grain, 

 465 cars of hay, 134 cars sheep, 280 cars cattle, 610 cars hogs, 120 

 cars flour and 70 cars of butter. These 2,888 carloads brought a return 

 of 11,444,000. These marvelous achievements are attributed to the in- 

 fluence of the dairy industry backed up by patient, industrious persever- 

 ing men, women and children. 



BUILDING UP A DAIRY HERD. 



One of the first essentials in an undertaking of this kind is the neces- 

 sity for a correct, well defined and fixed idea of the proper methods 

 of procedure. While it is true that experience teaches while we progress 

 in any line of business, it is also true that we cannot rush blindly into 

 such a complex problem as dairy breeding without some knowledge of 

 the governing principles. We must seek the necessary knowledge from 

 whatever source it can be obtained. The weekly or monthly dairy 

 paper, bearing the experiences of the most successful and practical men, 

 is a great source of reliable information. Others are found in farmers' 

 institutes, dairymen's conventions, and short courses in dairying and 

 stock judging, such as the various agricultural colleges offer. 



One of the first things for the dairy beginner to decide upon is the 

 breed he will use. This is absolutely necessary, even if for the first 

 few years he is possessed of but one pedigreed animal only, viz., the bull. 

 Changing from one breed type to another is disastrous. Nothing but 

 continuity of purpose and fixed practice can lead to the highest success 

 in breeding dairy cattle. After deciding on the kind t)f blood to be 

 used, much valuable information can generally be secured from the 

 breeders' organizations, or registrj' associations, interested in the de- 

 velopment of the particular breed chosen. 



The beginner in the dairy business will surely find sooner or later that 

 he must breed the best dairy cows; few good ones are offered for sale 

 except when herds are dispersed. To start into the dairy business does 

 not mean that a complete herd of pedigreed animals must be purchased 

 at first, for this would be beyond the means of the average farmer and 

 a practice to be indulged in only by those of means. We propose dis- 

 cussing a plan of procedure within reach of the average individual. 



UP-GRADING. 



The proposed plan is that known as up-grading, which consists in 

 ingrafting the characteristics of a superior breed upon an inferior one 

 for the purpose of improving the latter. This improvement is due to 

 the superior quality of the males used and chiefly their power of trans- 

 mitting accurately these qualities to the offspring. The first step must 

 be that of purchasing the best type of grade cows which can be secured 

 at moderate cost by careful selection. If possible, one or two registered 



