Science: The Vanishing Bull

That lordly symbol of virility, the bull, is getting rarer. Dairy bulls on U.S. farms are constantly becoming victims of technological unemployment. Reason: the rising popularity with dairy farmers of artificial insemination.

The improved technique of artificial insemination allows one bull to do the work of 80 or more. So many more bull calves are now turned into veal before they reach maturity. In Nebraska, bulls have decreased by 3,000 since science stepped in to cuckold them. Some 20,000 Nebraska cows were test-tube bred last year and a statewide program is aiming at 70,000 by 1950.

Artificial insemination has many advantages. On the average dairy farm a bull is dangerous, expensive to keep, and his capacities are rarely put to full use. It is obviously simpler to call a veterinarian and have him serve the cow with one cubic centimeter of high-grade semen in a gelatine capsule or a special syringe. Membership in a typical breeding association costs only $5 a year, plus $6 a year per cow (which entitles each cow to three services a year if necessary).

Most important advantage is better heredity. A champion bull costs up to $2,000—far more than the average farm can afford. By joining a breeding association, the farmer gets high-production genes at budget prices. A superior bull can serve as many as 1,400 cows a year, and he is much more likely than an ordinary bull to sire good milkers.