Weighing the Bulls

Most farmers are inclined to reckon they can tell a good bull by his looks. But what is a good bull to a farmer?

Answer: If you're in the meat-growing trade a good bull is one whose progeny gain the most weight fastest.

In America, when a farmer buys a bull, he is likely to ask first for a record of weight-gain figures, much as a dairyman here would ask for butterfat figures for a cow.

In New Zealand, Ruakura Research Station is now conducting experiments to see if this system will work here.

In a line of young bulls,.all equal, some will gain weight faster than others. A bull will pass on this effiency to its progeny.

Ruakura is making experiments on several studs in the Gisborne area to select groups of superior and inferior bulls for mating with beef cattle. The results may show a big economic difference in their progeny.