New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-30

10 certain that where the type and origin Of any
nee Of animals exists pure and mmized, IN isa nor
NAL or natural condition, BY recurrence 10 males OF
that type for he impreenaton Of females rendered
partially artificial BY the consequences Of domesti-
cation, the pristine characteristics and va6r of tho
nee may be in some sort recovered. And the
nearer the sppyossh TO the normal or natural type
and condition, 20 much the more does the male I'M.
press his own characteristics whether faulty or ell.
celIenf, on his progeny
1t is, therefore, al-important, when we propose
to breed animals for the purpose of improving the
general stock, or race, to ascertain whether there
be or be not any pure original stock, by recur-
renee 10 which all inferior stocks or families may
be improved and raised in characteristics.
In the ease of the horse, this eas ndisputably
the fact. The Arab horse, whencesoever he was
the native land Of the horse-was, two hundred
years ago, the most Characteristic, vigorous and,
in all points, superior horse in existence-probably
because be then existed and now does 90 no longer,
in the purett and nearest form 10 his original condi.
ton. His progeny do 20 to this day. Some per.
creasing estimation in which he is now Justly held
as q stock getter is attributable to no deteriora-
ton on his part but to the fact that he is never or
most rarely now seen or obtainable by civilized
men in his best form. Others, and we are of opir
ion these more plausibly, argue that with the de-
terioration Of the race of men, who are the
owners of the desertb born Arab, with their loss Of
.cxo afi and 10
for the animal, as he was formerly cared for, the
horse of the desert has also deterOrated while his
defendant, the heir to all his blood the thorough
bred of England and America, is heir to more than
all his qualities and is as far superior to him o. q
proge nitor and in the transmission Of hereditary
qualities as he is himself insactual size, strength
speed and endurance. Still, be this as it may, the
fact is clear that the Arab blood in the horse,
whether original and primary, as coming from the
recently-imported modern Arab or from bis lnea
descendant, the English and American thorough.
bred horse, whichever Of the two is to be consid-
cred superior, invariably and forever, and the more
the more frequently it is infused improves all other
breeds of the horse for every possible purpose for
which the horse has yet been used.
We say has yet been used; since, if the modern
school of French gastrOnomic philosophy carry is
point aud succeed in convincing the nineteenth or
twentieth century that the kitchen, and not the
field, the road and the turf is the true test of the
horse, the feeding, fat.forming, and perhaps milk
giving properties Of the horse will hereafter have
to be cultivated, instead of bis speed, his strength
aud his courage.
Now, if in neat cattle as in horses We c0ald at
once recur to the original type of the race, If we
could say here is the thorough bull cow, as
we can of the stallion and mare, and all the rest are
but dunghills, should have at once an invarabls
standard and an unexceptiOnal rule, for breeding
Since every cross of the inferior but gradually i'm
proving female to the superior male would be in
that case certain step gained; and the breeding Of
cattle would approach, as that of horses does,
nearly, and every day more nearly, to an exact
science.
But nothing of the sort is trne Of ns.t 0attiS 10
one race of oxen Is thoroughbred, as compared
with any other race; nor is there any race so dig
tincty superior to any other that We can predicate
to certainty that crossing two different races,
families or varieties will produce an improved Of
spring.
When we cay, then that cattle are thorough
bred, Durham, short-horns, DevOpshire, Ayrshire
Herefordshre, long-homs, or what you will-we
do not imply that any enc of these bloods ID more
Thoroughbred than any other, or superior to it.
We do not even imply that the blood, of which we
pronounce the individual animal thorough, is in it.
self original, primal or other than the produce OF
some possible remote cross. We only assert that
the animal is apure and positive individual OF an
established and distinct variety, which is now ca
pable of reproducing itself from two like parents
like to like, forever. Just as we say, correctly,
thorough Cleveland bay, thorough Canadian,
thorough Sufolk.punch; not one Of which have or
pretend to have drop of thorough blood, in the
true sense, in their veins-meaning only that they
are genuine individuals of a genuine race.
The same is the case with the races or varieties
of cattle. Each is pure in itself, but no one thor
ough. bred. Their qualities belong to their breeds;
and for their qualities they must be chosen.