90 ' ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION, 



making such marvelous records for beef, milk and butter, has been brought 

 to its present state of perfection by the intelligence and patient industry of 

 man ; and woe be to the breeder of good stock who dims his eye or relaxes 

 his nerve. The general farmer should take a lesson from that most worthy 

 and honorable class of farmers, the breeders of improved stock, and apply 

 their well established methods of improvement to common stock. 



Selection : The common cow may have a pedigree ; that is, there are 

 valuable facts in her history that may be ascertained and should be known 

 to the breeder or purchaser— the ch<iracter of the dam and grand dam for 

 quantity and quality of milk, vigor of constitution, docility, regularity of 

 breeding, predominance of males or females in offspring, and all other im- 

 portant facts. It has been a significant fact in the Young Mary family of 

 Shorthorns that the noted ancestor, imported Young Mary by Jupiter, had 

 fourteen heifer calves to one bull, and such has been the tendency to the 

 production of females in this family that more than four times as many 

 recorded animals are claimed for it as belong to any other family. There 

 are individuals among our common herds of excellent characteristics but of 

 unknown blood, which are extremely valuable for the purpose of crossing 

 with pure stock. How valuable we do not know, because no history has 

 been kept by which it can be determined whether those characteristics are 

 sporadic or are in a measure fixed and can be perpetuated. 



As farmers we are confronted by this important fact, that unless meas- 

 ures be taken to ascertam and record the value of our common stock for 

 specific purposes, it must go to the wall, because progressive agriculture de- 

 mands definite forces. 



What has been afiirmed of the dam may be affirmed in regard to the 

 sires, but here there need be little difficulty for thoroughbreds only should be 

 used. 



How shall we replenish the herd after the foundation has been properly 

 laid ? We can continue the plan of purchasing, but with the assurance that 

 a dairy of high order can never be secured in this way. The farmer must 

 raise his calves to meet with high success, because in addition to inherited 

 qualities, conditions of food and management during growth have much to 

 do in determining the value of the future cow. Take a single case: If little 

 grass and hay, and considerable corn be fed during the first year, a limited 

 capacity of stomach will very naturally be developed and a tendency to 

 thrive only under grain conditions. Such an animal is a poor grazer and a 

 light hay feeder. 



Upon the other hand, if considerable wheat bran and oats be fed with 

 abundance of milk, grass and hay, the tendency will be to produce a large 

 stomach with a well sprung rib, fine head and short legs, while rapid growth 

 will be secured. Such an animal will give a large flow of milk and keep in 

 fair flesh upon pasture alone, and when dry will winter well upon hay. This 

 is of great importance to the farmer, as a ton of corn is worth only about 25 

 per cent, more than a ton of the best meadow hay for food. The best hay at 

 $4 per ton would be equal to corn at $5, or 14 cents per bushel. Hay con- 

 tains an abundance of nutritive material to support an animal in high con- 

 dition. The question is, whether the animal will eat and can digest a suffi- 

 cient quantity. This depends upon the quality of the hay and the capacity 



