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COOPERATIVE BULL ASSOCIATIONS. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Growth of the movement. 3 
Some advantages of cooperative bull associ¬ 
ations . 4 
Better and fewer bulls. 4 
Low cost of cooperation. 5 
Quick returns on the investment. 6 
Line breeding possible. 6 
Elimination of the scrub. 7 
Community breeding encouraged. 7 
Page. 
The influence of heredity. 8 
Improvement due to sire. 9 
Educational value of bull associations. 12 
Eradicating disease. 14 
How to organize a bull association. 14 
Suggestions for a first meeting. 15 
Constitution and by-laws. 18 
Selection of bulls. 33 
GROWTH OF THE MOVEMENT. 
C OOPERATIVE bull associations have existed in Europe for a 
long period. In the United States the first cooperative venture 
of which there is any record was started in 1908 by the Michigan 
Agricultural College. On July 1, 1917, there were 36 active associa¬ 
tions in 17 States, with a total membership of 1,158, owning 189 pure¬ 
bred bulls. The following tabulation shows the gradual but constant 
growth of bull associations in the United States: 
Number of active cooperative bull associations in the United States, 1908 to 1917. 
State. 
1908 
1909 
1910 
1911 
1912 
1913 
1914 
1915 
1916 
1917 
3 
7 
8 
9 
l 
8 
9 
8 
8 
8 
1VL iLIllw,ctIl. 
i 
1 
1 
1 
2 
2 
2 
3 
3 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
2 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
V (3i mont. 
1 
2 
2 
Oregon... 
1 
1 
1 
W lsconsin .. 
. 
1 
1 
Illinois. 
1 
1 
low 3/. 
* 
1 
1 
Massachusetts.. 
1 
4 
iNortli uaiouna. 
3 
9 
bout n. util oiilia. 
. 
2 
Pennsj iv .. 
1 
3 
8 
9 
11 
11 
12 
14 
15 
24 
36 
— 
— 
— 
— 
The history of the cooperative bull association shows that it is 
especially adapted to small herds, where a valuable bull for each 
herd would constitute too large a part of the total investment. Thus 
the organization enables the owners of small herds to unite in the 
purchase of one good bull, so that each may own a share in a regis- 
3 
