134 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



beyond honest, careful, and judicious breeding as shown by the recorded 

 lineage, the balance was in the fancy of the owner or breeder, and of no 

 particular value when speculation in pedigrees had ceased. 



The vast amount of money squandered in buying red Shorthorns of 

 inferior qualities on account of a prevailing fashion in color, should be a 

 valuable lesson in the future should the color craze again get control of 

 the breeders. The hopes sustained in using bulls with gilt edged pedi- 

 grees and a fashionable color in the herds all over the country is beyond 

 credulity. Whether the lessons taught by the hopes sustained will be 

 of value in the future will depend upon the good sense and judgment of 

 the breeder. With the hope and expectation that what I may say will 

 cause a discussion, I am going to state my views as to my choice of 

 cattle as applied to the average farmer. With the knowledge that 

 writers, and others interested in special lines of breeding, scout at the 

 idea of a general purpose cow, I believe that such a cow exists in large 

 numbers, and that all things considered, she is the cow that should 

 receive the most careful breeding and attention to all the details neces- 

 sary to bring out two very desirable qualities in the same animal, namely: 

 beef requisites and dairy qualities. Such a cow is found in many herds 

 of Shorthorns of thorough breeding, and in large numbers of Shorthorn 

 grades which abound in nearly every state. 



DAIRY SHORTHORNS. 



The early history of Shorthorns is replete with statistics showing valu- 

 able dairy qualities. It was the boast of that veteran breeder of high 

 class Shorthorns, Thomas Bates, that his cows were most excellent for 

 both milk and butter. That the beef qualities in most herds have received 

 in the past the greater attention, is true. It is also true that where espe- 

 cial attention has been given to dairy qualities, success has followed such 

 efforts, and the beef qualities to a marked extent have been retained. The 

 ninety day test made in Chicago proved that the special butter breeds 

 had a strong competitor in every direction in the general purpose cow, 

 the Shorthorn. While I believe that the highest excellence in butter 

 and milk production and beef qualities cannot be obtained in the same 

 animal, still it is true as shown by positive tests that the Shorthorn cow 

 contains, in a marked degree, both essentials — dairy and beef qualities. 



The signs of the times indicate that the ordinary farmer cannot afford 

 to specialize in any particular direction from the fact that, owing to his 

 surroundings and previous practices, he is not fitted to compete with 

 those whose education and interests lie in the direction of special farm- 

 ing. As cattle are necessary to all farms for their yields of milk and 

 butter, as well as for beef purposes, it is well that the farmer should 

 select an animal which may prove of value in two directions. Dairying, 

 like most other kinds of business, will be overdone if the increase in pri- 

 vate dairies shall be kept up, and it is good judgment that prompts the 

 farmer in mixed husbandry to breed that class of cattle that have proved, 

 and will continue to prove, valuable in two directions. 



