Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-05-31

pearance, none Of the effects are apparent
which exclt's surprise when the male only,
Or the female, happens to be well. bred.
Contrast this state ofthings with that which
will be apparent in the inferior stock, to
improve which. the weI.bred bull is pu, in
requisition. There it is that the produce
astonishes, for there sire the impresses
characteristics peculiarly his own. lift be
argued, WHY it does so, the answer is easy,
for the reason is obvious. His exceTences
are the accumulated acquisitions of many
ancestors ); they are positive, and IN com.
parlson, fixed ; while the cows, with which
he has been used, possess little or no char,
acter, and have been bred without regard to
any point but the production of animals to
increase the stock upon the farm.
1t is conceived tha. few facts in COR
boration of this reasoning. may be here ap.
Propriately in,r' duced. They will be de-
rived from the history Of the improved
Short-Horns, breed Of cattle with which
the writer appears to be es: acquainted.
Mr.. Ceilings bull Comet impressed the
generality of his stock with bis own pecul-
lar traits in so remarkable degree, that It
was easay for stranger to select them
from great number Of animals. But in
Comet, it should be remembered. centred
what was called the best blooi, and it ought
10 be remarked, that, at that period, good
Short. Horns we're not very numerous and
Comet, except in his owners and Mr..
Charges stock, was introduced TO COWS
comparatively inferior. 1t is not, there.
fore, singular, that from such bull stock
very superior to the dams should spring;
but in Mr.. Ceilings own stock. where the
cows were also superior, and in Mr..
Charges, to which the same remark ap.
plies, no such striking effects followed the
use OF this bull the cows possess positive
characters les, the effect ofimproved breed
ing, as well as Comet; and if his traits
did predominant in more than usual de.
gree 10 the offspring, it was principally,
only, where cows bore near affinity to
him. The same remarks are applicable TO
Major, son Of Comet. With well.bred
cows he proved himself good bull, but 1t
was when he came to be used with inferior
cows that his excellence as stock. getter
was fully revealed /; but his merit in this
respects is well known. High breed here
again predominated in the usually extraor-
binary manner, for Major was by Comet.
out of the celebrated COW Lady, all whose
| produce sold at prices SO high, as strongly
to evince how they were regarded 10 public
estimation. Here, then. existed positive
qualities transmitted by Descent on the
| bulls side, before which the indetermina:e
character Of bred cows gave way, It led
to the produ ton of a race better than the
females, an improvement TO be ascribed to
Majors blood, and not to any sexual SUPER
iority. The same remarks may be made
as TO Western Comet, a son of Major, out
of capital COW of Mr.. Charges. All his
stock were most excellent. but the bulls
breeding was most eminenty cvinced
IN his descendants from ordinary cows
| Thus it appears, that when a male and fe.
male are especially WE'LL bred, and Of nearly
equal individual excellence, it is not proba-
bic that their produce will exhibit any gen.
eral proof of preponderating power in eli.
ther parent, to impress peculiar ctaracteris-
tics. But should the contrary appear TO be
the case, upon diligent enquiry it will sci.
dom fail to be ascertained, that peculiar
characteristics have been derived from an
ces'~rs, which, under certain circumstances
Of Contact, or crossing, have become prom.
inent features in the offspring. A simple
case will illustrate this remark. Suppose
the ancestors of bull, in the third or fourth
generation, to have possessed defective
shoulders, but that defect not to exis, in
himself, 10 consequence Of close attention
on the part of his breeder, Cross sucl, bull
with cow defective in her shoulders, and
probably the defect will exist In the offspring
in an increased degree, and will oblan for
the dam the character ofbreeding produce
similar to herself Whereas, in fac., this
is an injudicious cross, made in ignorance,
or disregard of the fact, that ANIMALS breed
back k !; that they possess greater tendency
to defect than TO perfection and that the
only safe o. breeding is, tina: of strictly scru.
tinizing the pretensions of ancestors.
With regard to the bulls which have been
irs.anced, Comet, Major, and Western
Comet, had they been bred from cows of
very inferior blood, although they might
have possessed excellen. form, with other
good qualities, experience assures US that
they could not have deserved as sires.
Comets sons, from well.bred cows. begot
good animals but such as were descended
from inferior females, left no reputation be-
hind them, but as sons Of Comet.
In order that the foregoing reasoning
may be understood, and very common
and fatal error guarded against, i: Is thought
necessary to explain as 10 the terms High.
blood and Highly. ed, that the writer does