56 BULLETIN 1031, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Most of the bulls in the herd in 1910 were grade Hereford and 
Shorthorn, with a few pure-bred bulls. All of the Shorthorns were 
disposed of by 1914. After 1910 more registered Herefords and a 
few grades were purchased, and since 1915 none but registered Here- 
fords have been procured. A lot obtained in the fall of 1916 came 
from breeders in the Panhandle of Texas, but since that time all 
bulls for the reserve have been purchased from breeders in eastern 
and central Kansas. Effort has been made to buy slightly better 
bred bulls each year in order to continue improvement through bulls 
as well as in selection of cows. 
The best bulls in each lot have been used with the special 500 herd. 
Plate VI shows a number of the bulls used in this herd in 1918. 
‘Twenty head from the first lot of 26 head purchased in Kansas were 
placed in the herd in 1917. In 1918 the best from a lot of 89 head 
were selected to replace the poorest ones in the 20 originally placed 
in the herd. Sixty-eight of the best bulls from a lot of 88 head pur- 
chased in 1919 were selected for use on the reserve during 1920, and 
the best of these will be mse to replace a few of the poorest in the 
special herd. 
‘ RESULTS OF THE SELECTION OF COWS AND USE OF GOOD BULLS. 
The results of the selection of breeding cows and the use of good 
bulls are shown in the offspring. Over 96 per cent of the calves 
from the special breeding herd since 1915 have had good Hereford 
color and markings and for the most part good backs, straight tops 
and underlines, and have shown good beef conformation in general. 
Yearlings and 2-year-old steers have sold for from $2.50 to $5 more 
per head than the average in that vicinity, partly on account of 1m- 
provement in grade, and fewer steers have been rejected by buyers 
because of poor grade or lack of uniformity. Plate VII, figures 1 
and 2, shows the changes in type and grade of steers turned off the 
reserve following the improved breeding methods. 
The accompanying photograph of yearling heifers (Pl. VIIT, is. 
2), most of which are offspring of the selected herd, shows the de 
of animal that is being produced. These heifers at LS) tos months 
of age averaged 534 pounds in weight before watering and after they 
had been off of feed for 24 hours. They showed much heavier bone, 
deeper bodies, wider backs, better developed loin and hind quarters 
than the average of either original herd, and approached more 
nearly the class of stock desired by the feeder. 
RESELECTION OF HERDS IN 1919. 
The net results from the work in improving the breeding stock 
from 1915 to 1919, especially the results from the special herd of 
500 head, were so encouraging that during the summer of 1919, 
