238 MANUAL OF FARM ANIMALS 



the dairies are so crowded for room that there is often not 

 space enough to raise these calves ; yet when possible provision 

 should be made for perpetuating the high-producing cows. 

 The practice of buying all the cows has a tendency to lower 

 rather than raise the average production of the herd, for the 

 reason that few of the high-producing cows are for sale, and the 

 dairyman is obliged to take rather inferior producers to supply 

 his customers with milk. 



Cooperative breeding. — A very successful method of improv- 

 ing the dairy cattle of a community is to breed them on the 

 cooperative plan. In the localities where cow-testing associa- 

 tions exist, this is a very easy matter. It is also apparent that 

 the formation of cow-breeding associations, in connection with 

 cow-testing associations, would do much to advance the prog- 

 ress of the dairy industry. Each association should have for 

 its object the production and improvement of high-grade and 

 pure-bred dairy cattle, and should be formed of breeders who 

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

 of such an association to protect the interests of its members, 

 provide suitable bulls each year for use on the cows owned by 

 the members, advertise stock, attract buyers, hold meetings for 

 discussion of cow-breeding matters, and educate the farmers of 

 the locality to better methods of breeding, feeding, and develop- 

 ing high-producing dairy cows. 



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. By purely bred animals are meant those that are re- 

 corded in the herd books of their respective breeds ; by grade 

 is meant the produce of a pure-bred sire upon a native or com- 

 mon dam. 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 com- 



