Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-11-26
Value Of Blood.

Mr. u. A. Gilbert, President Of the Maine
State Board Of Agriculture, said at one Of the
farmers meetings at the New England fair
at Manchester
believe that blood is important. l be.
lieve that thoroughbred animals are the ami.
mails to breed from believe il is our only
source, and believe that we TO that should
look for the Improvement, not only of our
horses, but for the improvement Of all our
domestic animals. believe that it will, in
every case, manifest its superiority over any
other animal used, in tho whole round Of do
nestle animals. The question of crossing is a
question which does not come no really in
antagonism to the improvement Of pure bred
animals--not at all. We find that by
cross Of thoroughbred animal upon our
stock, whether a mare, Gov, or any other
domestic animal, we get a good animal,
valuable on our farms, valuable for useful
purposes. We want these thoroughbred
animals to cross upon our common stock, and
Increase its value. Without the thorough
bred, we should not have the most valuable
animals to cross upon. If the farmers of
New England would improve their stock, Of
all descriptions, they must resort to the
thoroughbreds to do it.
Deacon Buffum Of the New Hampshire
Board of Agriculture slid at the same meet.
ing
| merely want to second what has been
said in favor of thoroughbreds. And |
would lay little emphasis on the thorough.
bred, We call many animals "thoroughbred"
thoroughbred horses, and thoroughbred cat
tie, which are not so at all. The thorough
bred which will benefit our horses and also
our cattle, is an animal bred from generation
to generation, possessing the same qualities
fixed in its blood, aud continued thus to be
bred. For instance, you have fast horse, and
its grandfather aud grandmother, its great.
grandfather and great-grandmother, back for
eight or ten generations, have all of them
been fast; you let that colt be bred to an
animal which is the opposite to fast, and its
colts will be worth nothing. When we say
that the colts Of our fast horses have very
few Of them been fast, the trouble is this
that the animals were not thoroughly bred
If you trace back their ancestors you will
uuu tuhb oOuV VI tuOih haNo OOSu tuC OppO-
site Of fast and consequently they do not
come up to the standard This is the reason
why our horses are not improved. We have
some very fne animals, but if you trace their
ancestors back. you find them inferior AMI.
mails, and by breediug from them, you breed
back.
What want to impress upon you is this
fact, that il we wish for a fast horse, we
must get stud.horse whose parents and
grandparents and grandparents have
been fast, and every colt he gets will be faster
than the dam that brought him. So with our
Short Horns, which are celebrated for their
milking qualities. The qualities have been
traced back from generation, to generation,
and bull of that family going to our native
COWS will produce calves that are better
mixers than their dams, and we increase
only in that direction. If you wish to i'm
prove your stock of horses in any direction,
be sure to find an animal which has been
bred for the purposes for which you breed
and you will accomplish your object.