BREEDS OF BEEF CATTLE 273 



as a pure bred one, and still this is no justification for his use. 

 Though an animal may be an exceptionally good individual, if he 

 is lacking in prepotency, as the grade derived from mixed blood on 

 the dam's side is sure to be, his offspring cannot equal those of the 

 pure male. And so in actual practice, except in rare instances, grade 

 sires fail to produce offspring possessed of the marked uniformity 

 and quality of those from the pure bred male. Attention just here is 

 called to the fact that the quality of prepotency more markedly 

 manifest in the breeds of most ancient origin has been developed 

 through centuries ; one must not expect to develop it in high grades 

 in one decade. It would be useless to say that no grade sires should 

 be used at all, for of the bulls that are needed, as indicated by the 

 last state census, only a portion of the number could possibly be 

 made up of pure breds, as they are not to be had. Therefore, the 

 only rational thing to advocate is the utilization of all pure bred 

 bulls to their fullest extent, the use of the fewest possible high grade 

 sires for the present, the use of the best of this class and the replace- 

 ment of these by pedigreed animals as rapidly as possible. Occa- 

 sionally, in purchasing, a man hesitates between two sires, the one 

 a grade, the other a pure bred; the former perhaps about as good 

 as the latter in individuality, judging from appearances. On this 

 basis, the purchaser secures the grade because it is at least one-half 

 cheaper, but in considering the final results we should not lose sight 

 of the fact that the superiority of a crop of ten calves from a pure 

 bred sire is almost sure to be so much greater than the same number 

 from a high grade, that the difference in the purchase price of the 

 two sires may be more than made up in a single season. 



Discarding the So-Called Aged Bull. In general, it can scarce- 

 ly be said of a bull, that he has reached full maturity until four 

 years of age, though this perfect stage of development is commonly 

 regarded as being attained at a somewhat earlier age among some 

 breeds. It has been a common practice for years, among farmers, 

 to send the three or four years old bulls to the block, largely because 

 there is no sale for them as breeders. The general rule among pros- 

 pective purchasers is to search for nothing but young bulls, yearlings 

 or less, with the idea that they will grow into money for them, if they 

 can dispose of them before maturity. It is a false economy to pur- 

 chase on this basis solely and take more or less chance on a young, 

 untried animal when the actual results from a mature animal may 

 be ascertained. There are two principal reasons why sires are usually 

 sent to the block at three or four years of age. First, it is claimed 

 that their dispositions do not mellow with age, and second, they 

 become too large, heavy and clumsy, and it may tend to impotency. 

 In answer to the first of these objections, we believe that except for 

 the inheritance of mean, treacherous dispositions, bulls in general re- 

 turn on the points of their horns only that which is dealt out to 

 them on the points of the fork, or in other words, the bull responds 

 to the character of the treatment and management given him. 

 Mature bulls should not have a tendency towards impotency if prop- 

 erly fed, managed and exercised, but because of the fact that the bull 



