COMMUNITY BREEDING ASSOCIATIONS 143 



Many communities throughout the country have almost uncon- 

 sciously, and certainly withoxit concerted action, raised so many 

 animals of the same breed that the farmers are now reaping the 

 benefit very positively. So keen is the demand now for improved 

 livestock and the advantage to the buyer of being able to select a 

 dozen or a carload in one community that in a large number of 

 places the farmers are organizing cooperatively to produce more 

 desirable stock in greater quantity. 



Community Breeding Associations. — Organized, well de- 

 iined efforts have tlie advantage over the old system of encour- 

 aging each man to act independently, while the community 

 drifts, in the following respects : 



First. A larger number of improved animals are secured 

 in much less time. The years required to raise, develop and try 

 out a cow are about 10 per cent of the farmer's working lifetime. 



Second. ^Vhere a dozen or more of the best farmers in any 

 neighborhood lead off in breeding definitely they become more 

 keenly interested in their livestock, take better care of the ani- 

 mals and, through the fact of better care, derive an additional 

 income. 



Third. High class breeding sires may be purchased for less 

 money per man when purchased for community use. The econ- 

 omy also is increased, because when the sires have worked a 

 period of two years in any community they may be systematically 

 exchanged with little loss. 



Fourth. The surplus grade stock not only rapidly takes the 

 place of the older cows, but also accumulates in such number as 

 to attract outside buyers. Another advantage noticed is that 

 the farmers who begin the matter of improvement in one line 

 of stock seldom are satisfied until all the classes of livestock 

 and field crops too have been studied for the purpose of 

 improvement. 



The great advantages of a comparatively close organization 

 over the looser methods of conducting this business may be briefly 

 summarized as follows: A well organized committee attracts 

 f&rmers' institute speal^ers and other community workers. Thus 

 the individual members have greater opportunity than they 



