Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1878-03-14
CAN ANNALS BE IMPROVED?

stock is only to continue the stock; you are
getting nothing more, nothing less. The
same breed, with its faults and all its good
qualities, is but extended; and it is impos-
sible, though a million animals were bred,
to get anything different from the old stock.
1t is the same with a pure or a mixed breed;
you continue the pure or the mixed. What
ever there is, and nothing else is transmit
ted" Of. G., page 366, 1879 | make this
quotation, because it expresses very clearly
the opinion of a large portion of our farm
ers-an opinion that, more than anything
else, prevents the improvement of our ma
tive breeds of animals, and renders unsuc-
cessful attempts to replace them with i'm
proved ones.
In the papers on breeding, which were
published in the last volume of this paper, |
made it a main object to show that under
certain circumstances the transmission of
the peculiarities of the parents to the off
spring was almost an absolute certainty.
And these circumstances are, that the par
ents must be anatomically and physiologi-
cally alike, that they have received their Pc
culiarities through a considerable line of an
cestry, and that the conditions under which
they ana their offspring are developed are
favorable to the continuance of these pecul-
%iarities. But these conditions are seldom
all present in breeding common animals
the near relation OF the breeding stock,
which is generally necessary to insure the
first point, requires in-and-in breeding,
which, for many reasons. is not usually
successful with farmers; the want of Uni
tormity in scrub animals prevents the pos
sibility Of the second condition while mat
tcntion to the third is a frequent cause of a
failure in breeding improved animals, or in
crossing native stock with them. Conse-
quently, the same breed, with its faults and
all its good qualities, is not always extended,
and it is possible, by breeding much less
than a million animals, to get something
different from the old stock. A moments
reflection should satisfy almost any one that
there are no facts to support a contrary
opinion. There has not always been a
breed Of horses that could produce animals
capable Of trotting a mile in less than 2:2O;
the English thoroughbred is a very differ
ent horse from his ancestors while the
Shorthorn, the Jersey and many others
among cattle, the Southdown. the Cots
wold, etc, among sheep, and the Berkshire,
Essex and Yorkshire among hogs, are all
living examples which rcfute it.
Nothing within the bounds OF reason ap
pears impossible to the accomplished breed
er; not only can he mould the scrub ami
maj OF any species or country into the form
which he may desire, but the accumulated
ancestral influence of the Arabian. the En-
glish thoroughbred, or the Shortlorn, are
unable to resist the influences which he can
bring to bear upon them.
IMPROVING SCRUB STOCK,
There is a very prevalent idea that there
is no advantage i'll trying to improve scrub
stock, that the only admissible improve
ment is to substitute improved breeds, ci-
ther directly or indirectly by continued
crossing; and while this may be true as re-
gard the farmer of means who has good STA
bles and abundance of feed, there are vast
districts where to introduce improved
breeds, in the present state of agricultural
progress, would be to invite failure, and to
entail a direct p%ecuniary loss on such COM
munities. As | have insisted in a previous
article, scrub stock is the result of manage
ment and it will almost inevitably produce
better results under the conditions which
moulded its forms and aptitudes than any
improved breeds. In tact. the great reason
ltiat improved stock extends itself so slowly
over the country is q preiulice araiust