236 MANUAL OF FARM ANIMALS 



dairyman is approximately one dollar per cow in addition to 

 boarding and providing passage for the tester. 



RECORDS OP 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. 



In all breeding operations, it must be remembered that like 

 produces like, with the trend of the race downward. That is to 

 say, the offspring will resemble the parents in general, though on 

 the average they will be slightly inferior. While on the average 

 the offspring are inferior to their parents and while in general 

 they resemble their parents, yet individual offspring will vary 

 widely, some far superior to their parentage, while others will be 

 equally as inferior. This is where the successful breeder is 

 able to mold the destiny of his herd by selection. Possessing 

 a record of the production of each individual, inferior and superior 

 alike, he mates the superior to the superior and discards the in- 

 ferior. 



In this connection it may be well to call attention to a rather 

 widespread but incorrect idea. We have certain breeds of 

 dairy cattle that are recognized as heavy milkers but rather 

 low testers, and we also have high testing breeds but rather light 

 milkers. Many a breeder of dairy cattle has fallen into the 

 grievous error of thinking that if he mates a heavy milker with 

 a high tester, the offspring should give a fairly heavy flow of 

 milk with a liberally high test. Such breeders have forgotten 

 that the drag of the race is downward, and that by crossing a 

 heavy milker but low tester on a high tester but light milker, 

 that on the average the offspring will be both a light milker 

 and a low tester. 



