Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-08-30

Or no attention, and giYe'us no re:ll iDstgfi
as to the comparative merits of one breet
with another? 1t is so also in England
The champion prize winners ut the Smith
field Christmas shows are one year Of on
breed and one year of another. and While !
pronounced majority in favor OF the Sh"rt
horn fcr instance certainly speaks we'll ftol
it, great value III this direction, it does got
decide that it is therefore under all circum,
stances positively the best.
,. And this brings lis, we think. TO the
true explanation Of the difficulty. Speak
Inc. in general terms, different breeds arc
largely the outgrowth of the peculiar CON
ditions under which they were produced.
| They continue to retain characteristic
which adapt them %variou>ly to different CON
| ditions. We can readily imagine a commit
tee of judges formed of practical butchers,
with first class specimens Of the Siorthorn.
Hereford, Devon and Galloway before them
quite as,hkcly to select one as the other fol
the first prize. And VIXEN selected. it's SUI
periority would probably be rather a mat
ter Of inlividnal excellence, or the result OF
| the superior skill of its feeder. than any evil
| dence that enc breed, rs Il Whole, is better
for Matchmaking than the others.
3. What we want, therefore, is the knoWl-
edge necessary to adapt our selection OF
breeds, not only to the climate and crops OF
| the locality in which the animals are to be
! raised, but also to the system of farming to
be adopted, and the care aud feed they are
to receive. These are points which nust
necessarily be decided by personal expert
ence, rather than by any society or set of
| committees, and with reference to which
only the most general rules can be laid
down. MI the works on cattle, sheep,
swine and poultry, enter more or less di-
rectly into the subject, and from them mach
may be leasned. Whatever so called "iwl-
provencnt'' has been brought about in any
breed. 50 im rs changes from its original
characteristics are involved, is largely a
matter of continuous care i'll breeding and
keeping. and thus far artificial, since with
neglect and insufficient food it May soon be
lost. 1t is the special province OF the breed
er of pure bred animals, to cultivate. retain
and promote it. 1t is the business OF the
farmer sinplT to make the most money lie
can from his stock, fron yeag to year.
4. The farmer, convincing himself by
reading an observation. and by knowledge
of his own facilities and plans for the future
what breed of cattle, sheep or SWINE is most
likely to be Of proft'to him.. can scarcely
fail to be largely guided iii his conclusions
by what lac has seen at agricultural cNhlbi-
tons, as he Mill also learn from them what
are the best types in the breed he chooses.
1t may even be the case that he will select
| one yeaS \ bull or ram OF one breed to cross
| with, and again those OF another breed. just
as he thinks ut thediine most likelyto rene
ly particular defects in his stock at home
Were such a system as this continuously
practieed, With the use OF none but thor
oughbred males, the live stock of the coun.
try would be rapidly remodled, and adj
justed in proportion to the skill with Which
the process WAS carried on, to the exact
wants of every locality. it is in fact exactly
the process which is now going on through
out the country, although less generally
and less effectively than we might desire.
1t must not be supposed, from the tone OF
these general remarks, that we intend tc
exclude Il farmer from raising pure bred an
finals, farming them over solely to those
who make Il speciality of it. Such is NOT
the case. In keeping pure males for the
Improvement Of his common stock. it is
very often the case that a limited number OF