FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION 63 



later the herd averaged 7,184 pounds of milk and 358 

 pounds of fat, an increase of 2,518 pounds of milk and 162 

 pounds of fat. 



Assuming these cows were milked six years each, the 

 total increase in production per cow for those having the 

 improved blood would be 15,108 pounds of milk and 972 

 pounds of fat over the average of the original herd. At 

 $2.50 per hundred pounds, the additional milk would be 

 worth $377.70. If the 972 pounds of fat were sold at 45 

 cents a pound, the increased income would be $437.40. The 

 additional feed that these improved cows consumed was 

 $95.00 a cow, leaving a net gain of $272.70 if the milk were 

 sold at $2.50 per hundred pounds, or $342.40 if the fat was 

 sold at 45 cents a pound. 



The use of pure-bred bulls in this herd made possible 

 an annual income of $57.06 per cow for each cow in the 

 herd more than would have been realized from the original 

 stock. 



The improvement in this herd has been duplicated 

 wherever a real effort has been made to grade up a herd by 

 the use of good pure-bred sires, both by our Experiment 

 Station and on practical dairy farms. 



The first essential in grading up a herd is to decide 

 which one of the dairy breeds is best suited for the kind of 

 a market we have for our dairy products and then stick to 

 this particular breed. Changing from one breed to another 

 will never get us anywhere. 



While it is true that in selecting a sire some considera- 

 tion should be given to type and appearance, it is of more 

 importance to carefully consider the milk and fat records 

 of his ancestors. This is especially true of the dam of the 

 bull we expect to buy. 



A sire that has had high-producing ancestors for four 

 or five generations back of him is most likely to make the 

 largest improvement in the production of his daughters 

 over their dams and will increase the net profits in the 

 business. 



The surest way to get a sire that will increase the pro- 

 duction of his daughters over their dams is to buy a proven 



