Breeding Special Purpose Cattle. 113 



his farm pay as well as, or even better than the special 

 dairy or the special beef classes. If we had such 

 duaf-purpose types, bred pure and to a high uniform 

 standard of dual excellence, there would be a large 

 field for each of the three classes. Beef cattle would 

 hold the ranges and many beef farms, general agri- 

 cultural" regions would find a dual-purpose breed of 

 real merit the most profitable, and dairymen would 

 properly retain special dairy breeds. In fact, the beef 

 types more than the dairy types would suffer by the 

 competition of dual-purpose cattle. 



Farms and ranches for breeding beef bulls will 

 be a necessity in the agricultural regions. They will 

 have three classes of markets, viz : beef ranches, farms 

 devoted to beef raising and farmers using dual-purpose 

 cattle, but not needing all their females for the dairy. 

 These latter and even growers of dairy cattle, will 

 desire to breed their less valuable cows to beef sires 

 so as to have good steers and heifers for beefing. 



On those farms where milk for city or for factory 

 or home manufacture can be the chief product the 

 specially-bred dairy cow will doubtless hold the fort. 

 The amount of territory she will give up to dual-pur- 

 pose dairy cows will depend upon the relative amount 

 of brains and care put into breeding the two classes of 

 cattle. It is easier to breed dairy cows, but the pos- 

 sibilities in breeding dual-purpose cattle, once properly 

 developed, may prove so great that dairy cattle, even 

 under the very intelligent breeding which is already 

 coming in vogue with this class of cattle, may be 

 crowded to a minor place. Their merits are now so 

 great that they should help to crowd out scrub cattle. 

 People often cling to the cow that produces steers as 

 well as milk when they ought not to do so; but the 

 likes of people will continue to be a part of the problem. 



The general-purpose cow as a pure-bred type has 

 her way largely to make. Red Polls, Devons, Milking 

 Short-horns and other breeds have not as yet received 

 adequate attention ; they have not been bred in that 



