184 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



produced better care than common in 

 order to take advantage of the improve- 

 ment introduced by the sire. The use 

 of a $500 pure bred Angus bull on grade 

 cows for beef, should impart to the off- 

 spring a tendency to the beef form and 

 rapid fattening qualities of the Angus 

 breed. But if this stock be skim; ed on 

 pasture or feed, the gain will not be 

 more rapid and there will be no more 

 profits than on scrubs, handled under 

 like conditions. 



Breeder must be a specialist — The 

 whole theory of breeding is treated in 

 detail in another chapter of this work. 

 It is introduced here among systems of 

 stock farming to call attention A o the 

 special requirements necessary to make 

 this kind of farming a success. It is 



Proportion of pure bred stock ill 

 the country — The total number of pure 

 bred animals in the United States is 

 not large. In 1904 the numbers were 

 about as follows: Horses, 185,000; 

 dairy cattle, 224,000; beef or other cat- 

 tle, 452,000; sheep, 222,000; hogs, 181,- 

 000. In round numbers this is only 1 

 per cent of the horses and beef cattle 

 produced in the country; 1.3 per cent of 

 the dairy cattle and less than 0.5 per 

 cent of the swine and sheep grown. 



Beginning blooded stock raising — In 

 entering the business of producing pure 

 breeds of live stock, much study and 

 care is essential in the beginning to 

 understand the characteristics of the 

 breed which it is desired to handle. The 

 breed selected should be adapted to the 



134 — HAMPSHIRE HOG CRATED FOR 

 (Photo furnished by E. C. Stone) 



the work of the specialist and in his 

 hands succeeds, bringing in much larger 

 returns than from general feeding or 

 grade breeding. But when attempted by 

 men unfamiliar with its requirements, 

 it more often brings failure than profits. 

 The breeder, of all stock men, must be 

 a business man as well as a stock raiser. 

 His success depends on both good breed- 

 ing and wide advertising. 



Much the larger part of the men en- 

 gaged in growing pure bred stock are 

 located in the corn belt and eastern 

 states. It is from these states that 

 the western range men buy their pure 

 bred sires to use on the grade range 

 stock, though direct importations from 

 Europe are frequently made. With 

 large herds, pure bred sires soon pay for 

 themselves in the higher grade and 

 better quality of the_ progeny produced. 



locality of the breeder. In the little 

 country of England practically each 

 county has its particular breed of live 

 stock best suited to the local condition 

 of the county. 



There are sheep which will thrive 

 on low wet lands, and others which do 

 best on the highlands. Breeds of hogs 

 that will flourish in the south and others 

 that sun scald. Breeds that return a 

 considerable profit from grazing and 

 others which are noted for their ability 

 to utilize large quantities of grain 

 profitably. The market requirements in 

 the neighborhood must also be consid- 

 ered. 



In laying the foundation of a herd or 

 flock, it is best to start with a few ex- 

 ceptionally good animals and grow into 

 the business slowly rather than to at- 

 tempt to build up a herd rapidly with. 



