The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-05-27

breeders have in this man.
uer acquired their celebrity 1t there.
fore occurs that in "A herd. not closely in
bred, but made up of animals having
distinct strains OF blood, some or more
than others For purposes
of Herd Book registry, they are properly
regarded on an equal footing, though the
breeder soon learI that they 81 preach the
standard, and fall within the definition of
the term, to very different degrees.
For the breeder to know that he has
so called thoroughbred animals is only to
know the mould--some more exact than
otbcrs--in which their progeny will be
cast. But this knowledge is OF incalcul-
able benefit TO him. The element Of
doubt is to this extent absent This in.
sight into the economy Of his animals is
useful, only in so far as is guides him to
preserve or impIant excellencics 10 them.
The need is au animal that shall unite
qualities which shall ADAPT to it and satisfy
certain wants. In the dairy animal he
wants, generally, an animal not over large,
of vigorous constitution, and giving a
large quantity of milk in proportion to the
food consumed. The breeders of a GER.
tain county of Scotland, Tor years and
years have had present to their minds
certain definite notion of what the dairy
COW should be, and their efforts have been
directed to the production Of such an api-
NAL. In the dairy Ayrshire COW is seen
the result of these abors-an example,
in several particulars, the most complete
we have OF the achievement Of art upon
nature.
Now, though it may be said that the
cattle Of Ayrshire are sufficiently distinct
and of uniform type to form breed and
to be entitled thoroughbred, it will be
allowed that some families are in them
selves superior to others, both to the eye
and to the breeder, in that better animals
may be found in the line of their progen
itors than are found in some other fam.
ilies.
Whether person engages in breeding
animals of the royal strain, or Of animals
of commoner kind, the type of the sue
cession in either case will be Ayrshire,
but Of quite different quality. The COM
moner blood may have an equal prepot.
ency, but in the measure Of its badness
will be the measure of injury that the
ill-bred thoroughbred shall do the farmer.
Each generation Of the use of such will
strengthen the mediocrity.
He secures, indeed, uniformity in the
stock, but it is not worth the having, in
view Of the opportunities that offer in
various directions to improve it, Some
persons, very likely acquainted with some
noble breeds, as the thorn, Ayr.
shire, Hereford, can call to mind instan.
ces of families having been so deterio-
rated, and perhaps to an extent that for
bids their being commended as superior
to the better sort Of mongrel cattle Of tho
vicinity
1t is the thoroughbred in conjunction
with the excellent, and there are thous-
ands Of examples Of such-not any thor
oughbrod buffalo, or Swiss, or other kind
that the breeder should wish to propa.
agate.
Let these two ideas run in the same
channel Of the mind-the one without
prejudice to the other, and we have the
proper forces at work in the improvement
our neat stock. From their happy blend.
Ing, have sprung those magnifcen achieve.
ments which have given rise to, and
brought so many breeds to an adaptation
to fulfill the particular wants OF husband.
ry, and wrought those changes that place
them almost as much in the dominion Of
art as of nature.
The completeness Of success that has
attended efforts to fashion animals after
a human ideal is evinced in the apprecia.
ton in which several breeds of cattle arc
held, and in the suggestion of special val
ne, which is apt to attach in our mind.
to the term so commonly prefxed to the
valued breeds. The excellent cannot b.
excellent unless it is thoroughbred, anc
is not valuable unless it is excellent.
JosEPu y. STURTEvANT.
Country Gent.