Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-29
AGRICULTURAL.
THE SCIENCE OF BREEDING STOCK

fr0n the country hcnIcmohl
In the science Of breeding there are many
nice points which are Of isterest mainly to
the few who carry it TO high degree Of per-
lection. With the farmer, who raises stock
for practical purposes, thefundamental points
are simpler; and while there is great room
for the exercise of slkillful Judgment, there
il not the risk involved In every minute par
ticular, which the breeder feels whose capita
and reputation are staked upon maintaining
and carrying forwardfh the permanentimproye-
ment Of herd or flock. And TO lead farmers
generally to pay more attention TO the char
acter Of their stock,-the clearer the light
in which these fundamental principles can
be placed, the more likely thsy viii be to
receive the regard they deserve, and TO be
acted upon in the general practice of the
community.
To one consideration, which may, per-
haps, rank among the axioms of breeding,
too little attention is as yet paid in this
country. II has been 80 clearly prosen in
the experience Of thousands, how greatly
judicious crossing with the improved breeds
adds TO The vGlue Of the offspring, that this
question Is no longer within the limits of
debate. But there are many who argue that
If halfblood thus produced is strongly
marked by the merits Of his pure bred sire
il must, therefore, be good thing in pro-
portion 10 use the former in turn for breed
inc purposes.--and. indeed. that all the i'm
proyeuaeut gained can. in this wav. be per-
petuated.
sT.ike produces EkeD Sthey have been
told; and such il certainly It's tendency. but
under certain conditions which are too often
overlooked. At a large part OF our own and
county exhibitions the prizes 90 10 half
breeds.-and while there is certainly cause
for Concentration in the progress so far. evil
dence Is also afforded that Il hasnot vet gone
far enOuoA.
IL sqike tends 20 produce like" Il is a ten
dency reaching beyond the individual itself
back 10 ;ts proeenitors. how remotely we
cannot tell. The great Importance OF the
improved breeds. lies in the fact that the
merits they have are inosn 10 run back for
MANY generations. This continued family
likeness for a long period. vastly increases
the force az the tendenc and the eonse-
ouence Is. that in n cross unon cannon ami
mails Of mixed origin. we are certain 10 re-
produce n,ucb of the excellence of the bet
Tor narans p,,t when we fins Obtain half
braed male even s,nnos.ng him 40 nearly
The couuterpart Of The nureebred "a actually
10 u,islead an exporienced eye-if we 90 on
III make n seooad cross Inv usinp him as a
breeding animal we have Int one genera
tion an fhe side NJ The imnrovement against
Countless e,enerafiona of Intern; xture and
the latter nat,,raIlv carries the day. In
other words no oniv can we not densnd M
ON orr oood Iool.;ng "erade, N renrod,,ce
himself In his sfFsnr;ng Inn. the chances are
octnallv very STRONGLY the other wav.
mi, fant z onfoTcea os regarls sbee,, In
n very practical naner iatelv read before an
Irish Farmerg Club. in which il is distinctly
advoc,ted that crosq-hreds Gnrodnce the
most and best mutton nj the least cost
PM this Il nracadea Inv tbe assertion that
ts,,othing Il 80 iniurious 10 the flocks of the
country ms filing the market with cross
bred sires'-a position illustrated In the fol-
Lowing stafementa.
~ hava seen very pood-Iookiue and we'll
sbaned haichred rams, hut when these rams
were mt 20 ewes there was not 10 per cent.
~ thcir lambs like Themselves lint were a
mixture al all kinds As an instance OF
This soma az the hest hill -breeders in Scot
land got an idea thar they could keep their
halfbred stock (bred-betwixt the border
leicester ram and the Cheviot ewe) up TO
the same tVne by uniting the halEbred ram
10 the balf.bred eve. and 80 sure were they
of the success of the plan, that saw, some
five wears since. halfbred rams selling at the
Kelso ram sale as high as el0 each. But
they soon found that this was working on a
wrong principle the produce being inferior
10 .he half.bred sire and dam, and they had
again 10 resort 10 the use Of the pure-bred
sire. Hence the necessity of keeping some
of the most useful breeds pure"
Even in the case of two established breeds
which inherit their distinctive features from
an equally remote ancestry. il is a very diff
fcult thing 10 combine these features in a
cross that shall perpett,ate the combination.
The 6rSt cross sometime does excel either
parent bv possessing merits derived from
both. bnt experience proves that ..he cross
breed itself tends invariably 10 run back tc
lie one side or 10 the other. and that IL is the
labor of a lifetime 10 give much character
or valne 40 the combination. Breeds ef
rnixea oriosn which 40 come Al length 10 be
,e,., a.',i az d;st;nct hreeds are attended for
80 "a ~. ai,va,s will some uncertainty
yoaIslancb II az course diminishes as the
49, &c 5,.,5s,s ,,e,,,rs ,,,on cop,mon no;nts
s,,S ,,'a Ia,,se &c time Gives leyerage so 10
s,,ast Cav f.r,hsy s,,cosss
NJ :. - - = u, G., AZ ,,a,