Formation of a Dairy Herd 53 



animals, constant care must be used in the selection 

 and breeding. 



In the formation of a dairy herd one of the first 

 questions to be considered is the choice of a breed, 

 and whether the herd shall be made up of pure -bred or 

 grade animals. There are several well-known breeds 

 of dairy cattle in the United States, each having dis- 

 tinct qualities, and each having strong partizans. 

 While, undoubtedly, some breeds are better fitted for 

 certain conditions of soil and climate than are others, 

 still the matter of the choice of a breed may well be 

 left to individual preference. In almost any location 

 one may choose a breed for which he has a strong 

 liking, either real or fancied, and be assured that he 

 can establish with it a successful herd. Jerseys, 

 Guernseys, Holsteins, Ayrshires, Swiss, Devons, Red 

 Polls, and even Shorthorns, make a varied and fairly 

 long list of breeds from which to select. 



Pure breds and grades. Whether purely bred or 

 grade animals should be selected is a matter upon 

 which there may be more difference of opinion. By 

 purely bred animals are meant those that are recorded 

 in the herd books of their respective breeds. This is 

 the narrow, restricted sense of the term "pure bred," 

 but it is the one in common use in this country. A 

 grade animal is the offspring of a pure-bred sire and 

 a common or grade dam. The offspring of a pure- 

 bred sire and a common or "scrub" dam, is called a 

 half-blood; the offspring of a pure -bred sire and a 

 half-blood dam is called a three -quarter -blood; a 

 three -quarter -blood in turn bred to a pure -bred sire 



