NEW YORK, JULY 22, 1899 
$1 PER YEAR. 
Vol. LVIII. No. 2582. 
PUREBRED SCRUB STOCK. 
80 ME FAILURES OF BREEDING ASSOCIATIONS. 
How They Might Raise the Standard. 
EARLY HERD BOOKS.—Our American farm stock 
may be divided into three great groups, viz.: 
purebred, cross-bred and grade. Where an animal is 
purebred, it will show an unbroken descent in one 
breed on both sire’s and dam’s side, of purebred an¬ 
cestry. Generally speaking, a purebred animal in 
America, to be eligible to registration in a breeding 
association’s books, must show registered ancestry 
back to denominated foundation stock, or trace back 
to European herd books. A cross-bred animal repre¬ 
sents the crossing of two distinct breeds, while a 
grade is usually the result of using purebred males on 
common females of mixed breeding. 
The first attempt made to establish a herd book and 
keep a record of purity of breeding, was in 1822, by 
Thomas Bates, of England, who conceived the idea of 
keeping a Short-horn record. Bates’s scheme was 
taken up by an organization of 
Short-horn men, and later, 
other breeders patterned after 
the Short-horn plan, so that 
to-day, we find many different 
live - stock associations in 
America and Great Britain. 
The primary idea of a breed¬ 
ing association is to register 
purebred animals in its records, 
promote the purity of the 
breed, and see that all those 
registered trace oack to recog¬ 
nized or approved foundations. 
The objects of the breeding as¬ 
sociations, so far as they went, 
were very commendable, bui 
under existing conditions, many 
of these to-day are far from 
accomplishing the purpose they 
should, viz.: the higher devel¬ 
opment of the breed. 
“SCRUBS” AND ADVANCED 
REGISTRY.—I have no hesita¬ 
tion in saying that, while the 
scrub is pointed at with de¬ 
rision by many breeders of reg¬ 
istered stock, and is generally 
scorned by the agricultural 
press, there are plenty of speci¬ 
mens of scrubs that, as indi¬ 
viduals, are far superior to 
registered animals, such as I 
might term purebred scrubs. It will not be a difficult 
operation to find many herds of so-called purebred 
registered animals, that represent a low standard of 
quality, viewed from any standpoint you please. Reg¬ 
istered animals of very inferior grade are far too 
common, and so abundant are they that but few men 
of wisdom will purchase purebred stock to-day, for 
breeding herds, before first personally inspecting the 
animal or animals in question. Elaborate pedigrees 
are prepared and published, and sales are held where 
finely-prepared catalogues of pedigrees are distrib¬ 
uted; but the man who buys solely on the strength of 
the pedigree, only illustrates the adage of a fool and 
his money soon parted. The individual first, the 
pedigree next, should be the buying principle of every 
breeder. 
Our live stock associations should go much further 
than most of them yet have. They should provide a 
class of advanced registry, and set a special premium 
upon both conformation and performance. The Hol- 
stein-Friesian Association of North America does 
thi<5, so does the American Jersey Cattle Club in a 
measure, likewise several other associations in a 
slight degree; but no strong effort is made by the dif¬ 
ferent breeders to elevate the general tone of the 
breed. If a man is enough of a hustler, he can create 
an impression in the minds of many that he has a 
great herd of stock, though in the eyes of plenty of 
sharp, discerning breeders, they must appear as pure¬ 
bred scrubs. 
POOR ANIMALS REGISTERED.—What is there to 
prevent this condition of affairs? Nothing. Is there 
anything on the books of the American Jersey Cattle 
Club to prevent my registering a three-eyed or two- 
teated cow? I think not. Certainly the application 
for entry, which in many respects is an admirable 
one, does not require one to report on certain defects 
which might occur as I have indicated. One must 
give the names of sire and dam, with registry num¬ 
bers, name of breeder and owner, etc., markings and 
certain features that may serve for identification; but 
further than this, it is not necessary to go. 
In a spirit of all fairness, will it not be in the in¬ 
terests of the breed, no matter whether horses, cattle, 
sheep, swine or fowl, if those truly interested in its 
improvement, unite to create higher standards of 
quality, so that purebred will really mean something 
superior to scrub. There are poiiltrymen to-day who 
use only nreeding birds that will score a certain num¬ 
ber of points or more in the hands of an expert judge. 
If more of our breeders of four-footed stock would fol¬ 
low the policy of these poultrymen, breed only high- 
scoring individuals, and use the knife on the rest, 
what an upward movement in quality would occur, 
among the purebred animals of America. In con¬ 
versation with one of the best known breeders of pigs 
in this country, I said to him: “Do you ever sell any 
stock to the butcher, as hardly good enough for breed¬ 
ing animals?” “Oh, no,” said he. “I have customers 
for them all.” He was a very superior breeder, how¬ 
ever, yet I fancy that more than once he might have 
rendered a favor to his fellow breeders, by selling to 
the butcher. 
Our purebred stock should not be registered unless 
it is worthy of registration, and while a large number 
of inferior individuals always will be, the breeding 
associations will render a signal service to the breeds 
they represent, when they establish and promote 
standards of merit from both conformation and per¬ 
formance standpoints, and when they make it an in¬ 
centive for the breeder emphatically to disapprove of 
inferior quality, and just as strongly approve of 
superior quality. To be sure, many breeders do not 
really know what inferior beasts they possess, but it 
should be the business of these associations to educate 
those dealing in their kind, to reach the higher levels. 
c. s. PLUMB. 
SOUTHERN SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 
The Tennessee Experiment Station issues as a bul¬ 
letin a report of a lecture by Prof. T. W. Jordan, on 
sheep raising in southwestern Virginia, from which 
we take the following notes: 
The first step in sheep husbandry is to get rid of the 
dogs, or protect your flock from them. There is no 
legal protection in Virginia or in Tennessee against 
dogs. They have more votes 
in the legislature than sheep. 
The shot gun has been fairly 
effective, but the loss has still 
been great. A dog tax, the 
proceeds of which should go 
first to pay for the destruction 
of sheep by the dogs, and sec¬ 
ondly to the public school fund, 
would seem to be a simple so¬ 
lution. 
Two classes of men are en¬ 
gaged in the business in south¬ 
western Virginia. People liv¬ 
ing on the rough ridges and 
mountains raise ewes. The 
valley farmers, with smoother 
and richer lands, buy these 
ewes at from two to six years 
of age, when they weigh from 
80 to 100 pounds each. The 
average price has been about 
$2.50 each. As the prime con¬ 
sideration is lambs for the 
early market, a South Down 
ram should be secured. The 
ewes may oe of the common 
type, but they should be strong 
and well-boned. When a South 
Down ram is used, the lambs 
will be dark-faced, dark and 
short-legged, close, round and 
heavy, and command the best 
prices on the market. Long-wooled sheep are not 
desirable, because they suffer more from the cold 
rains of severe Winters. The long wool parting on 
their backs allows the rains and snows to reach the 
skin, and this causes sickness. 
The ewes are divided into groups of about 35 each, 
and one ram is placed with eaclv flock about the mid¬ 
dle of August. High feeding is not necessary at this 
season, as the sheep should not be fat, although they 
should be in a thrifty condition. They should be 
given a large run, and not be disturbed or frightened. 
The same man or boy should care for them regularly. 
The ewes and lambs are turned on the grass field 
about April 1. Continue the grain or bran ration. 
The fields should be well sodded, preferably with 
Blue grass. The flock will not thrive well in a field of 
weeds and briars. Ninety-pound lambs for the June 
market can be made only on the best grazing land. 
The- ewes may be kept on ordinary lands until an¬ 
other breeding season, or sold, and other ewes bought 
at the proper time. Although sheep thrive best on a 
fine Blue-grass sod, they will give profit on millions 
