658 



Breeding Dairy Cattle. 



[Oct., 



for such registers is that they afford a basis for a register of 

 bulls out of cows with authenticated yields. The emphasis 

 already laid on the distinction between possession of dairy 

 qualities and power of transmission, and on progeny tests, 

 indicates another basis which might be adopted for entry into a 

 register of bulls. 



A register of bulls which have a minimum number of female 

 progeny qualifying for entry into the registry of heavy 

 milking cows will be a more valuable guide to breeders 

 than a list of bulls out of registered cows. The entry of a 

 bull into such a register would add greatly to its own value and 

 to the value of its family, and the information would be an 

 invaluable complement to pedigrees and of great assistance in 

 selecting animals for any particular application of the line- 

 breeding system. 



Summary. — From the individual breeder's point of view, 

 success in breeding for milk production is most likely to be 

 attained by working steadily towards an attainable ideal 

 embodying type, constitution, breeding powers and dairy 

 qualities; by the selection of cows conforming as closely as 

 possible to this ideal; by the study of pedigree and milk records; 

 and by the use of bulls, good animals in themselves, and possess- 

 ing some considerable degree of concentration of the blood of a 

 family of cows (i.e., line bred) showing the desired type and 

 characteristics, and the required degree of dairy qualities. If 

 an aged bull of the desired breeding and the sire of progeny of 

 known merit can be obtained, a definite advance should be 

 assured. 



From the breed point of view, success lies in the direction of 

 the identification and increase of families and animals possess- 

 ing breed characteristics, dairy qualities, and the power of 

 transmitting them to the utmost possible extent ; the adoption of 

 a uniform method of stating milk yields ; the certification of milk 

 yields and percentage of fat by an external authority: the 

 development of registers for heavy-milking cows, with classes 

 for different ages from the age at first calving to maturity, and 

 the formation of registers of bulls with a minimum number of 

 daughters entered in the heifer and cow registers. 



From the national point of view, breeding for milk production 

 would be assisted by the inauguration of a scheme for the 

 collection of data on the possession and inheritance of dairy 

 qualities and for the study of this data at the Institute for 

 Research in Animal Breeding. 



