Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-08-15
agritpltlunl nu0 Dunlegtlr,
nREEDINC OF STOCK.

make such a selectiOn Of both male and
female az is most likely to promote the
object ard the general principle ia the
GOVERNING law OF The animal 6ingdon-.
the verV obvious, vet much forgotten
maxim,-Nut ike produces liitg. or that
every variety. as we'll as species Of ami
mails. produces it's own kind. The sim
ole observation that domestic animals pro-
duce progeny exactly similar TO them
selves, formed the basis of all The pros
ceedings of our first great modern impro-
vers Of British live stock. Boswell, in
particular, inferred from this observation,
that, by bringing together male and fe>
male, both possessed Of one set of good
properties, he should obtain these prop
critics, perhaps in an increased degree, il
their offspring that by propagating'
from males and females Of the same pro
perIies through series of generations,
he should eventually establish breed po-
sessing these properties as a permanent
and Distinguishing characteristic. When,
he carried this process into effect, and
found It to be successful, with respect TO
his long horns, and next to other breeds
Of cattle, the term "blood" began to be
used as a designation Of it and, in all
any VARIABLE characteristic-can be refers
ed to a number of ancestors of admitted
excelje nee. this term is currently and en-
pha,ically applied. The principle of the
improving process-that every variety Of
domestic animal proPagates its own pc
culiar properties-is the Peryading law Of
all scientific breeding. holds true with re-
gard to both male and female, and ex-
tends, not only to constitution, shape and,
organic peculiarities, but to nosological
tendencies and habits, and to almost every
property. no matter how minute, which
affects an animals economical adaptation
and market value. The exceptions of
this law-even in spite Of the seemingly
dull and unimaginative character of the
cow, the eve, and some other domestic
animals-ars only such as arise from the
occasional ascendency of the mental pow
or over the organic operation, and like the
vastly more frequent exception in the hui
man snblect-more frequent, perhaps, in
The very ratio Of the superiority Of the
human mind to the bruIish-must be
wholly ascribed 10 the play of imagina>
ton. q" One Of the most intelligent bree-
ders ever met with in Scotland" says
Mr.. Boswell. "Iold me singular fact
with regard TO what hove now stated"
One of his COWS CHANGED to come in sea-
son while pasIuring on field, which was
bounded by that of one Of his neighbors,
out of which an OK jumped and went with
the COW until she was brought home to
the bull. The OK was white, with black
spots and horned. The cows owner had
not n horned beast in his possession, nor
one with any white on it; nevertheless,
the produce of the following spring was
a black and white calf with horns" A
still more remarkable instance is familiar
10 most readers of sacred scripture, as
having occurred in the pastoral history Of
Jpcob.s, Yet notwithstanding all such ex-
ceptions, the tendency of each variety OF
domestic animals is to propagate its own
Pccutiaritiss, down even to the minutest
point, it is SO prevalent and powerful as
to be strictly a law, and perfectly accounts,
not only for all the successes, but also for
all the failures. and for most of the appa-
rent anomalies. in the progress of breeding
improvements. Let it be supposed, ="
remarks Youatt. "that the cattle of a
certain farmer have some excellent quail
ties about them but there is n defect
which deteriOrates from their value, and
which he is anxious TO remove. He re-
members that like produces Ike and he
,noks shout for q bull which possesses the
excellence which Ee wishes to ungraft on
his own breed. He tries .he experiment,
and. to his asto Iish neut. IL IS perfect
failurc-hiS stock. s" lar from improving,
have detcriorated. yac cause of this ev-
cry day occurrence waa, that he did not
fairly estimate the extent of the principle
from which he expected so much this
new bnll had the good point that was
wanting in his old stock but he, too,
was deficient, somewhere also; and,
therefore, although his cattle had i'm
proved in some degree by him in one
way, that was more than counterbalanced
by the inheritance Of his defects. Here
is the secret Of every failure-the grand
principle of breeding. Tho newcomer,
While-he possesses that which 7faaa lesid-
eratum in the old stock, should likewise
possess every good quality sha: they had
previously exhibited-tIen, aud then
alone, will there be improvement without
alloy
Three Of. the good properties, or
points" as they are technically called,
which breeders desiderate 10 all the spe.
cIes Of live stock, are rectangularity OF
shape, robustness Of constitution, and ten.
dency 10 rapid attainment of maturity.
Reetangularlty of shape is not understood
with literal exactness. and never suppo-
SEES the total absence Of curvature, or the
absolute filling up of the angles, and is
more remotely exampli6ed in some spe-
cies than in others, and in some good va
rieties than in others; still, it constitutes
an excellent abstract model, and distinct.
lyindicates the development and novelties
of form which are requisite to making in