IMPROVING THE DAIRY HERD III 



rations, as factors in increasing the milk yield and 

 reducing the cost of production. There were numer- 

 ous examples in this same locality to show that 

 5,000 pounds of milk per cow per year were within 

 the reach of every painstaking dairyman. Many are 

 practicing the primitive methods of forty or fifty 

 years ago and fail to adapt themselves to the de- 

 mands of a progressive age. Further, they do not 

 avail themselves of the education in dairying and 

 agriculture so cheaply offered in the dairy and agri- 

 cultural papers, farmers' institutes, bulletins from 

 the Department of Agriculture, reading courses, and 

 other sources. 



CHAPTER VI 



BUSINESS METHODS IN IMPROVING THE 

 DAIRY HERD BY MEANS OF A PURE- 

 BRED SIRE 



While raising the heifer calves from cows show- 

 ing good dairy performance is of great importance 

 in improving the dairy herd, as shown in a previous 

 chapter, the fact should not be overlooked that the 

 calf inherits the qualities of both parents and, as 

 will be shown in what follows, the sire is of even 

 more importance than the dam. One does not need 

 to go very far among dairy farmers to find herds 

 where little or no attention is given to the selection 

 of the sire. A scrub bull of any breeding is con- 

 sidered good enough to be the parent of the calves 



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