138 BETTER DAIRY FARMING 



to be saved for a sire from one's own herd, or in buying a sire 

 from another herd. The value of the individuality, of the animal 

 is as important in the sire as his record, and in the dam of the 

 sire the value of the individuality is greater than the record. 

 Marshall gives a great deal of weight in this suggested scheme 

 to the record of production of good stock. 



210. A balanced pedigree. — This illustration of a pedigree 

 shows the value of balance. The sire and dam contribute equally 

 and also their similarity of type must be given some consideration. 

 The four grandparents contribute only one-half as much influence 

 as the sire and dam, but if by their individuality, records of pro- 

 duction of good offspring, and records of production of milk in 

 the dams, they can show uniform high character, then the indi- 

 vidual is almost sure to be an animal that can be depended on. 

 Strive to get such a balanced pedigree. 



The influence of a single animal in the generation of the great- 

 grandparents is not important in the sense that we would pay 

 very high for an animal on the strength of individual performance 

 in that generation. However, the more good ones found back in 

 the generation of the great-grandparents, the better balanced the 

 pedigree. 



211. Heredity and environment. — What a cow is going to 

 contribute to her calf is all contained in a single little egg pro- 

 duced in her ovaries at the time she is in heat. It is all there. 

 All that the bull is to transmit to this calf is in the sperm cell 

 which fertilizes that egg. The contribution of the thousands of 

 individuals for generations back is all carried along into the new 

 calf when this tiny egg and sperm cell unite. It is hard to believe 

 that all the calf can ever be is thus passed on to him in this way 

 from his dam and sire, but it is so. This is heredity. Environment, 

 or feeding and care, can only develop what is inherited. We cannot 

 create by feeding. We can only develop. Of course, heredity is 

 not of value if it is not properly developed, but the important 

 thing is that no care or management can amount to a thing if the 

 material is not supplied by heredity ready for proper feeding and 

 development. Let us learn this and then there will surely come 



