Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 153 



Superiority, based on utility alone, of purebred over common live stock 



Class Superior earning power 



Per cent 



Dairy cattle 47.8 



Swine 38.3 



Sheep 37.8 



Horses 37.2 



Beef cattle 36.8 



Goats 36.8 



All classes (weighted average) 40.4 



When the reports were summarized the superiority of purebreds 

 was, in the opinion of their owners, based on the following points: 



Points in which purebred animals surpass common stock 



Per cent of 

 total comment 



Better conformation and quality 14.6 



Better selling price of animals 12.8 



Increased production 12.1 



Stock more saleable 11.9 



More product for the feed 9.2 



Owners' interest and pride (results in better care and 



greater returns) 9.2 



Uniformity (factor in making sales) 8.9 



Early maturity 7.8 



Ease of fattening and finishing 5.7 



Better prices for products 3.0 



Increased vigor 2.7 



Docility and ease of handling 2.1 



100.0 



The grading process enables the producer of beef calves to develop 

 a breeding herd of high grades that closely approach or equal purebred 

 beef cattle in their utility value. Beginning with a herd of scrub cows, 

 successive crosses of purebred beef bulls will result in the following 

 percentages of pure and scrub breeding in each generation of descend- 

 ants: 



Results obtained by continued grading 



Percentage of 



Percentage of Percentage of pure breeding 



Crosses of purebred sires pure breeding scrub breeding added by each 



cross 



One cross 50 50 50 



Two crosses 75 25 25 



Three crosses 87.5 12.5 12.5 



Four crosses 93.75 6.25 6.25 



Five crosses 96.875 3.125 3.125 



Six crosses 98.4375 1.5625 1.5625 



It will be noted that the first cross gives the resulting calf crop 

 a 50 per cent infusion of pure breeding, whereas the sixth cross gives 

 the resulting calf crop less than 2 per cent more pure breeding than 

 their dams. The first cross usually brings much greater improvement 

 into the herd than any subsequent cross. It is much easier to improve 

 a scrub herd than a good herd. After a time the herd becomes so 



