LIVE STOCK AND DAIRY 91 



now, however, they will come fresh in the summer, when butter fat 

 is low and the heat lowers their production. 



You would probably find it more profitable to change the freshening 

 time of your cows more gradually, having them come fresh a month or 

 two later each year. By making the change all at once, you may have 

 trouble in getting the cows with calf after the long wait, besides having 

 them dry, or nearly so, for a long time. 



Holsteins and Color. 



How should a thoroughbred Holstein bull be marked; if more 

 white than black, and hoiv should his calves be marked if the mother 

 is not a thoroughbred? I recently bought some Holstein cows, but they 

 are mostly black, are good milkers and large cows, but are not marked 

 with much white. 



There is no particular way in which a pure-bred Holstein bull 

 should be marked. In recent years there has been a tendency among 

 some breeders to favor animals with more white than black but this is 

 simply a fancy and has nothing whatever to do with the quality of the 

 stock. When a pure-bred bull is used on grade cows, the calves usually 

 show considerable white, providing their sire also carried considerable 

 white. The cows you 'bought may both be pure-bred Holsteins, whether 

 they be marked with much white or not. 



Heifer Twins Are All Right. 



/ have a fine heifer that was born a twin, and people tell me 

 that she will not breed. 



If your heifer was born a twin to a bull calf she is probably a "free 

 martin" and will not breed. If her twin was a heifer, she will prob- 

 ably be normal and breed. 



Breeding Twin Sheep. 



// a ewe has twin lambs, one a ram and the other a ewe, will 

 the ewe be sterile the same as in a similar case with calves? If I save 

 my ewe twins, will I be able to develop in time a breed of sheep that will 

 always be twins? 



You need have no fear of twin lambs not breeding, although there 

 are, of course, both ewes and rams which are sterile, the same as with 

 all other kinds of live stock. This is not due to their being twins, how- 

 ever. As for developing the twin habit, presumably you could make some 

 headway if you could work at it about 100 years. 



Breeding Young Sows. 



How old should a sow be before she is bred? 

 Sows should not be bred to farrow until they are at least twelve 

 months old and many breeders contend that it is better to have them 



