326 PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING. 



The grading up of stock is a subject which should be of vital 

 interest to every farmer. This is the class of stock which is 

 to be found on over 70 per cent, of our farms. These animals 

 are bred and reared for market purposes. 



By grading up we mean that system of breeding where the 

 sire belongs to some one of our pure breeds and the dams are 

 of common or mixed breeding. This is the most economical 

 method possible of improving our domestic animals. It is 

 the method which each and every man can practice. It does 

 not involve very much expense. The sire is the only neces- 

 sary outlay. Where the herd, stud or flock is small, two or 

 more men may combine and use the same sire, thus reducing 

 the outlay for the purchase of the same. 



A very common mistake that is often made in the grading 

 up process is to select an inferior sire. Quite often the culls 

 which would not be used for breeding in pure bred herds are 

 selected for this purpose. This is a mistake, because in tho 

 grade or common herd there is more need for a good indi- 

 vidual than in many pure bred herds. He need not be so ex- 

 pensive as many of the most sought for sires in the pure bred 

 herds. It is not so necessary that he have all the fancy points 

 so far as color markings and other such points are concerned. 

 These are, in a large measure, fads, something which from a 

 packing standpoinut is not called for. 



The sire for the grade herd must possess those characteris- 

 tics in a full measure which are of practical value, such as 

 beef form in the beef animal, milk in the dairy cow, mutton 

 and wool in the sheep, ability to make economical gains of 

 the right kind in the hog, and good draft form in the heavy 

 horse and the desired type of the light horse. These are the 

 points which mean money on the markets of the world, thus 

 they must be sought for in the sire to be used in grading up 

 the herd, flock or stud. 



