Care and Management of Dairy Cattle 165 
per cow in addition to boarding and providing passage for the 
tester. 
274, Records of performance and of breeding. — In order to 
mate dairy cattle judiciously, it is absolutely essential that we 
know not only something of the performance of the animals thus: 
mated, -but the records of production of their ancestors as well. 
Such records enable us to mate the best with the best, and in so 
doing improve the strain with which we are working. 
275. The individual animal the unit of improvement. — In the 
improvement of dairy cattle by breeding, the individual must 
be considered as the unit. This applies to sire and dam alike. 
The longer the line of high-producing ancestry, the more certain 
are we that the offspring in turn will be a high-producer. The 
importance of this individual record of performance, backed by 
ancestors with similar records, cannot be overestimated. Having 
satisfied one’s self as to the individual excellency of both sire and 
dam, one must even then be prepared to accept some low-pro- 
ducers, for such is the law of cliance, which accompanies all breed- 
ing operations. One may, however, rest assured that on the 
average the offspring of individuals thus carefully selected will be 
equal to their parents, and that he will be rewarded by obtaining 
a few that will exceed the records of their parents. 
276. Formation of the dairy herd. — Perhaps one of the most- 
discussed questions in the formation of a dairy herd is whether 
to begin with pure-bred or grade cows. Opinions differ widely 
as to which is the more profitable. Pure-bred animals are much 
sought for breeding purposes; their offspring are therefore more 
valuable and command a higher price than do the offspring of 
grades. Therefore, if the value of the calves is taken into con- 
sideration, a pure-bred herd is a more profitable one, other things 
being equal, than a grade herd. On the other hand, by the grad- 
ing-up process, that is, by continually selecting and breeding the 
cows that are the best producers to a pure-bred bull, it is entirely 
possible and by no means difficult to establish a herd of grade 
