SIXTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— TART Till. 597 



ration more suitable for a i-ow nursing a calf than alfalfa, corn ensilage, 

 and a little dry grain, consisting of corn and bran with perhaps a 

 few oats. 



Now, suppose that under the most favorable conditions so far as 

 feeding is concerned the cow still fails to give the calf all the nourish- 

 ment it needs. This brings up the question as to the use of the nurse- 

 cow for rearing pure-bred calves. We find stockmen who favor the nurse- 

 cow, and we find others who oppose her use on general principles. Some 

 men argue that if a cow does not give enough milk to raise her own calf 

 she should not be found in the breeding herd. 



In breeding pure-bred caitle. the aim of the breeder is to produce 

 thick-fleshed, easy-keeping siros. to distribute over the country for use 

 upon the grade cows. As the country develops the dairy cow gradually 

 comes into more prominence. This will continue so long as the popula- 

 tion increases and there is need of more food to supply the people. It is 

 a fact that much more humus can be supplied from an acre of ground 

 when the crop is converted into milk than when it is converted into beef; 

 and as the country increases in population, making labor more plentiful, 

 the dairy industry will grow. 



In keeping cows upon the average farm, it does not pay to keep any- 

 thing but first-class milkers. From the strictly special purpose of dairy 

 cows, we cannot expect a good quality of feeding-steers unless we use 

 the very best typos of beef sires, to counteract the dairy tendency in the 

 dam. In producing the low-down, thick-fleshed, easy-keeping sii-e, to 

 cross upon the dairy stock of the country, we must confine our energies 

 to the production of beef qualities, rather than try to produce dual- 

 purpose sires. In the management of the breeding herd of beef cattl?, 

 we therefore must waive milking qualities to a certain extent, since 

 beef and milk cannot be developed to a high degree in any one individual. 



If. in the production of young bulls for distribution among the farm- 

 ers, we fail to give them, at the start, a liberal supply of food, we cannot 

 expect to breed into them that tendency to transmit easy-keeping ana 

 quick-fattening qualities to their offspring. And if the dam does not 

 supply sufficient milk to provide the best development for the calf, cer- 

 tainly a nurse-cow should be provided. In this connection. I am of the 

 opinion that the nurse-cow is even more important for raising young 

 bulls than heifer calves. 



In the care of the herd bull the same principle holds true. In dis- 

 cussing the management of the cows, it was suggested that because of the 

 expense in furnishin.e feed it is not always practicable to keep the cows 

 in high condition. Since the herd bull exerts as great influence upon the 

 character of the offspring as is exerted by the forty or fifty cows in the 

 herd, it is very much more economical to feed the one sire than the forty 

 or fifty cows. The herd bull cannot be too well cared for. He should be 

 kept in as high condition as possible, so long as it does not interfere 

 with his usefulness as a breeder. More injury is done by the character 

 of the feed than by heavy feeding. Fattening herd bulls by a liberal use 



