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IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



in that vicinity, providing none of tlie females were sold and 50 

 per cent of the calves of the resulting offspring were females, over 3,500 

 females ranging from one to eight years of age aud in blood lines from 

 half-bloods to those thirty-one thirty-seconds pure bred. These animals 

 would be good or poor according not only to the manner in which they 

 had been raised and cared for, but even to a larger degree according to 

 the character of the sires that had been used as progenitors. 



There are a great many points to be considered in the selection of 

 dairy animals and especially the sires that are to be used. It has been 

 found that function follows form. Practically all animals that have pro- 

 duced largely, economically and profitably have been of a given form 

 and conformation. We have, therefore, learned to select animals of this 

 given form and conformation for the purpose of economical and profitable 

 milk and butter-fat production. There still remains, however, those who 

 select animals according to price rather than according to their breed- 

 ing and individuality. It is characteristic of some of the extremely 

 wealthy breeders to buy sires that cost several thousands of dollars and 

 select them mainly because of this fact. On the other hand, there is a 

 class of buyers found upon our average farms who will purchase no 

 sires except those that can be bought for from $50.00 to $100.00. There 

 is still another class of breeders and dairymen between these two who 

 are successful developers of good cattle and they first determine in their 

 own minds the character of a sire that should be used upon their herds 

 for the reproduction of the very best producing daughters and then set 

 out to find exactly this kind of a sire. When he has been found then it 

 is only a business consideration to buy him as cheaply as possible. The 

 following illustrations of some of the greatest prize winners in the Amer- 

 ican Show Yards as well as some of the greatest producers of milk and 

 butter-fat will demonstrate those points which should be considered In 

 the selection of cows for milk and butter-fat production and of sires for 

 the reproduction of such cows: 



No. 1. Parthenia Hengerveld. 



