112 THE BUSINESS OF DAIRYING 



which are to become the future herd. Some one 

 says the purebred sire costs more. Certainly. 

 Quality has to be paid for, wherever we find it. But 

 isn't it worth the price? We cannot expect to get 

 something for nothing, even in breeding. But let 

 us follow up this matter and see what a good sire 

 is really worth to a dairyman. With the first 

 progeny the male has furnished half the qualities 

 provided the parents are equally prepotent. But the 

 cow has but one calf a year, while the bull may have 

 sired all the calves in the herd, if it is of ordinary 

 size, and if he is a strong individual, of good type, 

 the chances are that he will be more prepotent than 

 the cows, particularly if it is a grade herd. His 

 influence, then, will be as much and possibly more 

 than all the cows in the herd taken together. With 

 each generation of calves the improvement in- 

 creases, and the good qualities become more firmly 

 fixed, while the defects from the dam decrease, and 

 in time the bull may become practically the whole 

 herd. If he has been well bred and his influence has 

 been good it is possible for the sire to be the means 

 of more than doubling the production and hence the 

 profits of the herd. Looking at this from a business 

 standpoint, then, the evidence is clear that the most 

 careful attention should be given to the selection of 

 the sire. His ancestry is of even more importance 

 than that of the cow, and care should be taken that 

 he comes from a good milking strain ; he should be 

 purebred in order that his characteristics may be 

 well fixed, arid consequently have more influence 

 than a grade dam. He should show vigor and good 



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