122 Breeding Plants and Animals. 



of Short-horns could be measured and recorded. 

 Breeding power within the family and prepotency 

 when outcrossed on other families of the breed may 

 not always be the same. It is to be hoped that better 

 breeding-, better methods of recording values, and sales 

 based on statistics, will some day greatly increase the 

 use of pure-bred cattle, thus lessening- up-grading, 

 which is a mere pioneer necessity and which too often 

 means the mixing of the adulterated blood of one breed 

 with the pure blood of another; in other words, con- 

 stantly hybridizing, which, except in certain cases, does 

 not pay as well as breeding pure-breds known to give 

 uniformly good results. Only by means of pure breed- 

 ing can there be attained a uniformly high average of 

 efficiency of breeding stock and of individual excel- 

 lence in practical herds on our farms. 



The value of the crossing reasonably nearly related 

 families needs investigation. The present thought may 

 be too much in its favor. It may be a help in case of 

 some families and an injury in case of others. 



The Short-horn breed offers a large market for 

 heads of herds and for foundation females to start or 

 improve herds, and many animals highly bred in dual 

 excellence could be sold at high prices for these pur- 

 poses. The other dual-purpose breeds would offer a 

 more restricted market because there are not so many 

 engaged in producing pure-bred stock of the other 

 classes of cattle. Such an association could make 

 money selling bulls and females to farmers but the best 

 profits would come from bulls sold to breeders who in 

 turn supply bulls to farmers. It is also true that Red 

 Polls, backed by accredited figures of butter produc- 

 tion, beefing quality, fecundity and disease resistance, 

 might easily be made so popular that men would pay 

 large prices for foundation females with which to start 

 new herds, as well as for male stock. 



In co-operative breeding of dual-purpose cattle 

 methods of organization, dividing the expenses and 

 profits, retaining the choicest animals within the county 



