62 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



one, their descendants were bred to Holstein bulls, another 

 group to Guernseys and the third to Jerseys. 



Of the thirteen original cows, with a total of 74 lacta- 

 tion periods, averaging 3,991 pounds of milk and 187 pounds 

 of fat, thirteen daughters of these cows by pure-bred bulls, 

 representing the three breeds for a total of 40 lactation 

 periods, averaged 5,556 pounds of milk and 253 pounds of 

 fat, an increase of milk of 39 per cent. 



Five cows of the second generation of grades, carrying 

 75 per cent of improved blood, including a total of six lac- 

 tation periods, averaged 8,401 pounds of milk and 358 

 pounds of fat, an increase of 130 per cent in milk yield 

 and 109 per cent in fat production. The improved blood 

 resulted in a decided increase in persistency of milk flow. 



A member in one of the Illinois cow testing associations 

 increased the average production of the herd from 5,760 

 pounds of milk and 193 pounds of butter fat to 11,195 

 pounds of milk and 377 pounds of butter fat in eight years. 

 This improvement was made possible by the use of well- 

 bred bulls and by keeping a record of production of each 

 cow in the herd and then eliminating the low-producing 

 cows and raising the heifer calves from the best cows. 



The value of a good bull to increase the profits in a 

 herd during the lifetime of his daughters is not given the 

 consideration it should receive. The fact is that most farm- 

 ers give this question very little consideration. If this 

 question would receive the consideration it deserves, the 

 practice of using scrub bulls would soon go out of existence. 



A good illustration in the use of a good pure-bred bull 

 to grade up a herd of low-producing cows is in the record 

 of the Sub-Station Herd of Minnesota. In 1905 a group of 

 cows of native and mixed blood was purchased as a founda- 

 tion for a herd. The purpose was to demonstrate the pos- 

 sibility, and the methods, of building up a grade herd under 

 practical farm conditions. 



Complete milk and fat records were kept from the 

 beginning. The average production of the original herd 

 was 196 pounds of fat and 4,666 pounds of milk per cow. 

 Only pure-bred bulls were used in this herd. Thirteen years 



