Breeding Dual-Purpose Cattle. 121 



ica. This would make the expense for each farmer 

 $2,500, or a fourth more than some of these men, no 

 doubt, have invested in a draft stallion. As the years 

 pass by and the poorer cows and bulls are discarded 

 and as means accrue from the sale of young stock other 

 purchases of males and females should be made. The 

 final object is to secure the blood of those few Short- 

 horns throughout the world which have the highest 

 efficiency as dual-purpose breeders, then discarding all 

 else, make of this blood the future breed of Grant 

 County Milking Short-horns. 



The policy after the first few years should be to 

 introduce other blood into the new blood lines only 

 after it has been tried in combination with some of 

 the less valuable members of the county breed or sub- 

 breed. Carefully-kept records would show how the 

 various breed roots selected as best would niche to- 

 gether in producing progeny. 



While incestuous breeding has dangers, the limi^a- 

 tions of which have not been clearly .worked out for 

 the bovine species, three bulls and six cows chosen as 

 the best from among the whole lot selected in the coun- 

 ty association could be so inter-crossed that no trouble 

 could arise from too close breeding, and yet give range 

 for avoiding unhappy blending. 



It is not probable, however, that so few basic in- 

 dividuals would finally be chosen. On the other hand, 

 a single very remarkable sire, or dam, might be found 

 with blood so excelling both in projected efficiency and 

 in the ability to endure in and in breeding that its 

 blood should be concentrated with comparatively lit Ik 

 admixture and adulteration of less valuable blood. The 

 necessary inbreeding would possibly help to intensify 

 the prepotency of the new blood, so as to make it more 

 effective when bred to outside registered or to grade 

 herds. Not only the good or bad effects of this line 

 of breeding could be made a matter of statistical rec- 

 ord but the prepotency of the blood lines thus com- 

 pounded when the bulls were used on the general stock 



