PEDIGREES AND THEIR VALUE 41 



but in America a very large percentage of our breeders use 

 only grade or scrub sires, which fact explains why one sees 

 so majiy inferior animals on American farms. Recognizing 

 the great importance of this subject, many of the American 

 agricultural colleges and breed associations are doing every- 

 thing possible to induce farmers to replace grades and scrubs 

 with pure-breds. Surveys have been made in different parts 

 of the country, to learn something of the number of pure- 

 bred, grade, and scrub bulls in service. In Wisconsin 

 breeders investigated the subject, and offered pure-bred bulls 

 at especially low prices, in order to improve the live stock 

 of the state. As a result of this special campaign it is esti- 

 mated that more than 1,600 pure-bred bulls replaced grades 

 and scrubs in Wisconsin, and as many as 191 found places 

 in one county. In some counties in the United States the 

 people have shown great interest in this matter, and have 

 got rid of nearly all the sires but pure-bred ones. The Iowa 

 experiment station conducted an interesting breeding prob- 

 lem to show improvement from the pure-bred sire. The 

 station bought some very inferior scrub cows from a section 

 of country where the people had never used pure-bred sires. 

 The offspring of these by pure-bred sires, that is, the first 

 cross, showed a great increase in milk production. In one 

 case this amounted to 107 per cent milk and 112 per cent 

 butter-fat. In the next generation, with 75 per cent pure- 

 bred offspring, there was secured an increase of 194 per cent 

 milk and 138 per cent fat over the original scrub cow parent. 

 This experiment should be no surprise, because on every 

 hand we see the wonderful influence of the pure-bred sire. 

 In fact, whatever of merit we have in our herds and flocks 

 to-day, we need not hesitate to say is due to the careful 

 work of men who have used pure-breds only. 



The bracket form of constructing a pedigree shows the 

 family relationship by means of a series of brackets, after the 

 following manner. This is the most common form in use. 



