CHAPTER VII 



THE COST OF SIRE 



There are two factors that determine the cost of the sire 

 per cow, namely, the expense of keeping the sire and the 

 number of cows served. The first cost of a bull varies greatly, 

 and ranges from the cost of raising to hundreds and even 

 thousands of dollars. It requires for a particular herd no more 

 expenditure to raise a good bull than a poor one, but the initial 

 cost is more, and if the bull has especial promise or has been 

 tried and especially good animals secured, his sale price and 

 also his intrinsic value may be very high. The effect of a 

 sire that wiU get daughters with greater production abihty 

 than their dams is worth much to the herd that is being 

 developed. From the standpoint of cost of production of 

 milk of a particular generation, it is not correct to figure the 

 cost of sire on the basis of an expensive animal, for a cow will 

 be no better as a producer and no more economical in her 

 production because of the use of a good sire in getting her 

 calves. The calves are of greater value, which will increase 

 the cost price of cows in the next generation. A bull that will 

 be likely to give calves equal to or better than the 8,500- 

 pound producers taken as a basis of calculation in a preced- 

 ing chapter would cost perhaps $50 when a few days old. It 

 would cost somewhat more to raise a bull to two years of age 

 than a heifer, but the bull could be used some during its sec- 

 ond year. It is reasonable, therefore, to assume a cost of 

 $100 for the bull at i to i| years of age. The expense of 

 keeping a buU is somewhat different from that of keeping a 

 cow. More room is required and more bedding is needed, 

 while the feed will be somewhat less than that required by a 

 high-producing cow. The taxes, interest, and insurance should 



