CHAPTER VIII 



Principles of Breeding 



The object of breeding is to increase the number 

 of animals and to improve the herd. That is as far 

 as the matter need go with the ordinary farmer. 

 Of course, with the scientific breeder, the additional 

 object of the origination of new varieties offers a 

 fascinating field. For the general farmer, however, 

 the two objects named should be the ones given the 

 bulk of attention. Throughout the United States 

 the improvement of the herd or flock is of the 

 greatest possible importance. Very few farmers 

 can afford to start with an entire outfit of pure-bred 

 animals, both male and female. Wealthy people 

 and those who plan to make the breeding of live 

 stock their exclusive life work, probably can afford 

 to do this, but for the ordinary stockman, for the 

 general farmer, for the man who wants to keep farm 

 animals to maintain the fertility of his land, the 

 matter of starting with a pure-bred, high-grade in- 

 dividual sire and selecting good individual females 

 from common stock, is the one that will, in the end, 

 be the most profitable. Of course, the end is a 

 purely commercial one, but the great majority of 

 stockmen must consider the money side and largely 

 disregard the sentimental features. 



The above being true, grading — that is, the mating 

 of a common or unimproved parent with a highly 

 bred one — is the most satisfactory method. One 

 pure-bred bull with a herd of 20 cows gives a crop 

 of calves that are half bloods. In other words, this 

 is a case where the bull is half the herd. If a pure- 



