THIRTY-SIXTH ANNUAL CONVENTION. 89 



valuable. There is no breeder of pure bred cattle that can afford 

 to sell a bull calf for less than $100.00; there is no use trying 

 to buy a cheap sire. When a man sells you a cheap sire it is sure 

 the ancestors are not good producers. I had a case in my own 

 herd, one was not worth her keep, the other one would give 75 

 pounds a day. Another time I raised two heifers, neither were 

 worth anything.. I sold all to the butcher. I do not want to per- 

 petuate that in my herd. 



A farmer comes to me to buy a young bull; here is one I 

 will sell for $50.00, here is another I will sell for $150.00. Which 

 would be the cheaper one? The one for $50.00 would be poor 

 at any price, 'the other you would undoubtedly make $500.00 

 from before you got through with it. That is true. 



Up in Iowa I have been preaching this. I have been advo- 

 cating breeding back to their own sire where there was no gen- 

 eral faiHng. For instance, if a sire should have a weak back, I 

 would not do it, but if the heifers are strong I think it a good 

 plan to breed back to the sire once. After that take an outsider 

 of the same breed. 



If heifers from the first sire are strong, having no weak 

 points in general, and show good udder development and a milky 

 foam with no undo weakness in general in the lot it might be the 

 wise thing to do to breed them back to their own sire. If the 

 sire's offspring is strong and vigorous, showing up strong the 

 points of the best type of dairy cow, breeding back to their sire 

 will strengthen and intensify these good points. You will also 

 get a more uniform lot of heifers from this inbreeding, which, 

 while it adds nothing to the heifers as large producers, neverthe- 

 less it has an intrinsic value and pleasing sight. Your second 

 sire should be selected with even more care than the first, even 

 remembering the higher the grade the ratio of increase in pro- 

 duction will be less with each succeeding cross. Every heifer 

 or nearly every heifer in the first three crosses will, in all proba- 

 bility, be much superior to their dams provided always the sire 

 is from the largest producing dams. Never for a moment think 

 of using only one breed in your grading-up process. Your first 

 cows will be a one-half blood, your second a three-quarter blood, 



