The Breeding Herd 59 



The first point to be considered is that there should never 

 be too many cows to one bull, and that the bull is strong, 

 vigorous and fertile. Some range-men test their bulls 

 each year by breeding to a few named cows in pasture . The 

 other important factor is the elimination of the non- 

 breeding, or shy-breeding, cows. In the beef herd there 

 is but one course to take with a cow that comes from the 

 range in the fall without a calf; namely, to send her to 

 the butcher. Usually if she brings no calf she will be fat, 

 and if she is not she should be given a few weeks in the 

 feed-lot. About January one can often tell what cows 

 are not going to bring calves in the spring, and it is not 

 then too late to put them in the feed-lot and turn them for 

 beef at a profit rather than to carry them another year. 

 Such a practice will have a great influence in increasing 

 the percentage of calves. When a shy-breeder does have 

 a calf, that calf will not be so valuable to keep in the herd 

 because of the tendency toward irregular breeding that is 

 likely to be transmitted. It is generally admitted by 

 those who have studied the matter, that the two most com- 

 mon faults among all of our stock, and at the same time 

 the two most damaging, are lack of constitution and low 

 fertility. Not absolute barrenness, but breeding part of 

 the time, is more dangerous; the former ends itself, but 

 the latter is self-perpetuating. 



The time of the year when calves should come varies 

 with the feed and the climate, but it should ordinarily be 

 as early in the spring as the cow can take care of the calf. 

 Where hay is abundant, the calf may come some little 

 time before grass is good. The additional growth of the 

 calf will pay for the extra care, since he obtains so much 

 more good out of the succulent summer grass and goes 

 into the winter quarters strong and 'vigorous. Late 



