BREEDING BEEF CATTLE 307 



PLAN OP BREEDING 



Before deciding upon a plan of breeding beef cattle one should 

 make a careful study of his conditions ; he should visit farms 

 where beef cattle are successfully bred, noting conditions and 

 comparing with his own. Such improvement as he may be able 

 to bring about must be upon the common native cattle of the 

 community. To dispose of the native cattle and purchase well- 

 bred uniform cattle would be very expensive and in most 

 cases very unprofitable. The task is then to adopt some plan 

 of breeding that will result in an improvement of the native 

 stock. In most cases this can be most profitably accomplished 

 by the grading-up process; that is, by the use of pure-bred 

 bulls on the native common females. 



Cooperative grading-up. — A very successful plan to improve 

 the beef-producing qualities of the cattle of a locality is by the 

 cooperative grading-up method. The formation of beef-breed- 

 ing associations throughout a given locality would do much to 

 advance the progress of the industry. Each association should 

 have for its object the production and improvement of high- 

 grade and pure-bred beef cattle, and should be formed of breed- 

 ers who possess the same class or breed of cattle. It would be 

 the duty of such an association to protect the interest of its mem- 

 bers, provide suitable bulls each year for use on the cows owned 

 by the members, advertise stock, attract buyers, hold sales, call 

 meetings for the discussion of beef breeding and feeding matters, 

 and to educate the farmers of the locality to better methods of 

 caring for live-stotk. 



Raise heifer calves from best cows. — Because of the excellency 

 of the heifer calves from the good cows, the cattle feeder is 

 tempted to fatten them for beef. This should not be done. 

 They should be reserved for breeding purposes. Many cattle 

 breeders are actually reducing the quality of their beef-produc- 

 ing herd by fattening the best calves and reserving the poorer 

 ones for breeding because they will not make good feeders. 



