CHAPTER XIII 

 BUYING A PURE BRED BULL 



186. The value of pedigree.— In buying a pure bred bull to 

 head either a grade or a pure bred herd the first thing to look 

 at is the bull and then look over his pedigree. No matter how 

 good the pedigree may be, a poor individual should not be bought. 



However, the pedigree is so important that a bull will not be 

 likely to bring about much improvement in production unless he 

 comes from a line of high-producing ancestors, so that we must 

 conclude that after all is said, the pedigree is as important as the 

 individuality and we must study both equally well to judge our 

 animal. 



187. How to read a pedigree. — The best way to show how to 

 read a pedigree and to judge the value of the breeding of the 

 animal, and to judge his ability is to show a pedigree and pick 

 out the ancestors which give us a basis to form our judgment. On 

 page 123 is given the pedigree of Carnation King Setske Segis, 

 361477. He was sold at the third co-operative national sale held in 

 connection with the annual meeting of the Holstein-Friesian 

 Association of America in June, 1922. He was purchased by the 

 Pereley Dairy Company of Crescent, Missouri, for $1500. What 

 was there in his pedigree in connection with his own individuality 

 which gave him this value? 



The immediate ancestors of an animal used for breeding are 

 more important than those farther back. The real value of an 

 animal for breeding and improvement can be judged, (1) from his 

 dam and her record ; (2) the sire and his record ; (3) from the dam 

 of the sire and her record; (4) from the sire of the sire and his 

 record; (5) from the dam of the dam and her record; (6) from the 

 sire of the dam and his record; and (7) from the more remote 

 ancestors and their breeding and records. In short, we must study 

 intensively the records of the first two generations back of the 

 animal under consideration and then learn the family lines and 



121 



