18 DAIRY FARMING 



(4) the value of his sisters, if he has any; and (5) the 

 value of his own progeny, if he has any. 



The further back consecutively good records can be 

 traced the more valuable the animal. It should always 

 be remembered, however, that near ancestors count for 

 a great deal more than those more remotely related. 



Type. The external qualities of a good sire are indi- 

 cated by a masculine head and neck; bright, prominent 

 eyes, far apart; a strong, sinewy jaw; broad muzzle; 

 wide open nostrils ; deep, broad chest ; deep, capacious 

 barrel ; soft, loose, oily hide, of medium thickness ; clean 

 bone; large rudimentary teats, squarely placed and far 

 apart ; and a general spareness of flesh, especially in the 

 region of the shoulders, thighs, and hips. Indeed, from 

 the shoulders backward, the dairy bull should have the 

 same general outline as that possessed by the dairy cow. 

 He should have a strong, resolute appearance and an 

 active style, showing that abundance of vigor so neces- 

 sary in a good breeder. 



Prepotency. It has already been stated that this term 

 signifies the power which an animal possesses of trans- 

 mitting its own qualities to its offspring. The possession 

 of this power is of the highest importance in a dairy bull, 

 for it matters little how good a pedigree or how fine an 

 individuality he may have, if he lacks in the power of 

 transmission he is a failure. Prepotency in an animal 

 increases with the purity and closeness of breeding, and 

 is indicated to some extent by a strong, resolute, vigorous 

 appearance, reflecting a strong constitution and an 

 abundance of nerve development. 



The full extent, however, to which a sire is prepotent 

 can be determined with certainty only from his offspring. 



