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Farmers' Bulletin 1167. 



THE VALUE OF A PEDIGREE. 



No one breeds animals without dealing with pedigrees. The 

 common phrase " pedigree stock," as a synonym of " well-bred " or 

 " purebred " in describing livestock, is a misnomer. All plants, 

 all animals, all people have pedigrees, but all information about 

 these pedigrees is not available. Pedigrees become known because 

 of merit in some individual which stands out above his fellows. 



The Sire of a Grand Champion. 



FIG. 16. To achieve the highest results in livestock production pure blood is most 

 likely to result satisfactorily. Illustration shows the Shorthorn bull, Lavender 

 Sultan, sire of the three steers shown in figure 18. This bull is a remarkably 

 impressive sire with wonderful thickness of flesh. Note how his thick flesh is 

 transmitted to his sons. Compare this picture with figures 17 and 18. 



His progeny are watched, and if they have merit above the average 

 they are "saved for breeding purposes," and by and by we have 

 a line of known descent and ultimately perhaps a pedigree of dis- 

 tinction and formidable appearance. They are written into genealo- 

 gies, herdbooks, flock books, and studbooks, and the inheritance of 

 decades and even of centuries becomes in time a matter of written 

 record. 



The proof of the value of the pedigree itself is the worth of the 

 animals it produces. The value of animals with certain pedigrees 



