Bulletin 142, Dairying in Florida


do with transmitting the milk-producing ability to the offspring
as have the dams. The testing-out of a sire requires from three
to five years. Very few heifers freshen before they are two
years old. As a rule, a cow with her first calf does not produce
the maximum flow of milk. It may require a second or third
calf before a dairyman would be justified in retaining or dis-
carding the offspring of a sire from his herd. Therefore, in buy-
ing a young bull a long chance is being taken to secure a sire of
good producers. A proven sire will cost more, and is worth
more, than a young, untried sire.
 These are some of the uncertainties that confront the dairy-
man in building up his herd by selection. It can be readily seen
why it takes years to build up a productive herd. The truth is,
there is no end to the work. To maintain a good herd means a
constant culling out of the unprofitable cows and the addition
of new heifers which are the offspring of the best producing
cows in the herd.
 RAISING HEIFERS
 Improving the herd can be done most economically by raising
the heifer calves from the best producing cows, provided a suit-
able sire is used. This is because the purchase of good dairy
cows at a reasonable price is almost impossible. The man who
has a good dairy cow does not care to sell, but is always willing
to sell the poorest cows in the herd. When calves are raised
from the best producing cows one can feel sure of having a
fairly good cow and at the minimum cost.
 When buying cows for the dairy, several points should be con-
sidered. One of the first, and an important one, is the cow's


FIG. 21.-Promising Jersey heifers at the Florida Experiment Station