10 



THE CREAMERY PATRON S HANDBOOK. 



to use an aged sire that has been tried and proven his merit than an 

 untried sire of doubtful prepotency. The greatest problem in breeding is the 

 selection of the sire, whether it be for the improvement of a grade herd, or 

 the upbuilding of a registered herd of the pure breeds. 



As a rule it is better to breed the cows that make up the dairy herd 

 than to depend upon buying them. There are comparatively few good 

 dairy cows for sale, and except in case of dispersion sales, the best cows of 

 a herd can seldom be bought at a reasonable price. The policy in breeding 

 should be to test regularly and reject all that do not measure up to a high 

 standard after they have been given a thorough trial. The selection should 



COLLEGE MOORE SHORTHORN. 

 Yearly Butter Record, 474 Pounds; Net Profit, $81.60. 



be based upon actual results at the pail, rather than points of fancy or 

 form. It is a pretty safe policy to select cows upon performance. There 

 are some exceptions to this rule, but in general the cow that is a good pro- 

 ducer will conform closely to the accepted dairy type and form. 



The ideal dairy type and form also admits of considerable flexibility 

 and it is not advisable to adhere too rigidly to established types, provided 

 better results could be obtained by a slight departure in some instances. 

 The best dairy heifers will almost invariably come from the very best cows 

 of the herd ; but it is seldom that all of the heifers from any cow will be good 



