CONKEY'S STOCK BOOK 



Different breeds vary in form. Select the individual specimens which 

 show the greatest promise of the breed characteristics. Make it always an 

 individual test. Then by corresponding feed and treatment develop always 

 for that form. The individual specimens should be selected as specimens, 

 and must be hardy, of a quiet disposition, not nervous and in general well 

 adapted to the climate and range conditions of your farm. 



In the same way, for milk production, care must be exercised to select 

 the best possible individuals for the dairy herd. Here again make it a 

 test of the individual and see to it that as individual specimens they have 

 those necessary qualities of gentleness, strong nerve power, large capacity 

 for storage of food stuffs and ability to utilize it for the production 

 desired. Look for the large development of the milk bag, a long wide 

 udder extending well forward and well up behind. 



PREPOTENCY With any type, the capacity for correct transmission of 

 characteristics to offspring, is another consideration. 

 There are many breeds of cattle, horses, sheep and swine which are 

 strongly prepotent and can be relied upon for constitutional vigor in trans- 

 mitting their characteristics to the line. 



BREEDING With horses, in-breeding is resorted to for the purpose of 

 fixing permanently qualities of development toward a breed 

 characteristic for which the breeder has been striving. Cross-breeding, on 

 the other hand, is resorted to for the purpose of uniting in the foal char- 

 acteristics of both sire and dam. With cattle, sheep and swine, in grading-up 

 common stock, the choice of a male should be made with the view of 

 producing in the offspring and establishing in the line the desirable 

 qualities of the male. Moreover, there are certain laws governing breed 

 characteristics. Prepotency, however strong, cannot always bring quick 

 results. 



Common undersized beef stock can be graded up to a larger and 

 better standard of beef type than the same stock could be developed for 

 milk production. It takes generations and the most intelligent selection 

 before results of the highest dairy standard can be obtained. Just so 

 "with sheep: The Merino breed is known the world over for its fine qual- 

 ity of wool and stands at the head in that characteristic. But it is small, 

 and for the production of mutton alone would represent an unprofitable 

 breed. Now it might take four or five sheep generations to produce a 

 good mutton form by crossing Merino dams with rams from one of the 

 noted mutton breeds. But it would take from twenty to thirty generations 

 to produce a breed of the fine wool qualities of the Merino from any of 

 the mutton types. 



Similarly in feeding: Some stock owners suppose that by feeding 

 food stuffs high in carbohydrates (fat) a greater percentage of butter 

 fat will be produced in the milk. But the percentage of butter in the 

 milk of an individual cow or herd depends on inborn qualities in that cow 

 or breed. Such a system of feeding would tend to increase the milk 

 supply, and with it of course the total amount of butter fat. But it would 

 not, could not, alter the strain characteristics to the extent of raising the 

 standard of percentage of butter fat of the herd or cow. You can't feed 

 it in, you must breed it in. We should realize our limitations: know what 

 to expect. 



Breeding is hardly an exact science. But it works pretty close to 

 mathematical rule. If there is any one thing positively settled by scien- 

 tific farming it is this that it's only common sense and everyday thrift 



