No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 789 



From out this mass of testimony, which as yet has been but very 

 slightly summarized, one would think at least that very valuable 

 • data could be obtained on which to build some judgment as to the 

 pro and con of cross-breeding. 



Take for instance the last cow census taken in Minnesota which 

 has just been closed in the Dairyman, and see what it tells of this 

 work of breeding and cross-breeding. 



The one hundred herds enumerated contained an average of ten 

 cows each, or a total of one thousand; of these, we make the follow- 

 ing classification: 



One herd pure Shorthorn; 38 herds grade Shorthorn; one herd 

 of Jerseys, 9 herds of Jersey and Shorthorn cross-bred; 9 herds Hol- 

 stein and Shorthorn cross-bred; 4 herds of Guernsey and Shorthorn 

 cross-bred; 2 herds Brown Swiss and Shorthorn cross-bred; one 

 herd Shornhorn and Red Poll cross-bred; 2 herds of Shorthorn and 

 Hereford cross-bred, and 20 herds of so-called "natives;" one herd 

 classified as "mixed," which I have placed with the "natives," mak- 

 ing 21 in this classification. 



The records show in this practical creamery work that of the 38 

 herds of Shorthorn grades, 14 of them made a loss at the creamery 

 ranging from 32 cents per cow to $10.51, or an average loss per cow 

 of $3.79. 



The remaining 24 herds of grade Shorthorns made a gain at the 

 creamery, ranging from $1.70 to $24.18 per cow. The average profit 

 per cow of the 24 herds was a fraction over $110.26. The pure-bred 

 Shorthorn herd gave a loss of $5.20 per cow. 



There was one herd of Jerseys numbering eleven cows which 

 showed a profit of $19.72 per cow; 2 herds of Grade Jersey and Short- 

 horn cross that gave a loss respectively of $5.18 and $7.08 per cow. 

 The seven remaining herds of this breeding, made a gain respectively 

 of $2.61 to $30.63 per cow. 



There were nine herds of the Holstein and Shorthorn cross. Of 

 these, two made a loss, respectively, from 46 cents to $1.22 per cow. 

 The remaining seven herds of this breeding made a gain, respec- 

 tively, from $2.21 to $7.44 per cow. 



The nicking of Holstein and Shorthorn, by these records, does 

 appear to be as successful as that of the Jersey and Shorthorn. 



The four herds of Guernsey and Shorthorn show a loss in one 

 herd of $6.84 per cow and a gain in the other three from $1.20 to 

 $10.65. 



The two herds of the Shorthorn and Brown Swiss cross, show a 

 gain, respectively, of $1.80 and $2.05 per cow. This cross does not 

 indicate a very strong dairy prepotency on the part of the Brown 

 Swiss sire. There was but one herd of the Shorthorn and Red Poll 

 cross. This herd made a gain of $19.41 which was very creditable 

 indeed, but there were not enough herds of this breeding to give 

 a comparison of tendency for breeding of temperament. The breed- 

 ing on both sides of these families is strongly toward the beef- 

 temperament. 



The two herds of Shorthorn and Hereford cross both gave a loss, 

 one of 49 cents and the other of $2.16 per cow. 



We come now to an interesting study of the universal cow of this 

 country, so called the "native." 



