Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-01-03
AGRICULTURE.

KEEP THE THoRoUeHBEEDs PuRR.-
There IS quite difference between eros
sing pufe-bred sDImals of separate breeds
snd crossing the pure-breds on common
stock. By using thoroughbred males the
common herds or docks can be elevated to
u higher standard, and at small cost, Tor
the reason that the thoroughbreds are fixed
in peculiar characteristics. and have the
power transmit and impress their qualities
strongly on their offspring They impart
uniformity of color especially, and as all
breeds excel in certain peculIarities, while
inferior kinds possess 70 particular abilities
the dominant quality becomes fixed hao-
II, and it is TO TINS fact that we are able TO
breed in any direction for the attainment
of special objects. But il Is something
else in breeding together thoroughbred
animals OF different breeds The jersey
COW Is the result OF years Uf labor. Her
Qualities for making beef have been sacri-
feed, her muscles weakened, her frame re-
duced and the chraacter of her milk chang
ed in order 10 create the butter COW. She
is not great milker In quantity, nor is she
fit for the GARY when the quality is no OBJ
lCGt- GDuC ue&c DCEA blOl AbA "a PNA
pose only, which is the production of but
ter. She is exactly the opposite of the
larger breeds, and bears no relation TO
them. As the jersey COW is butter-pro-
ducing animal she is therefore a living
factory for butter production, and If we
desire an animal for milk alone we must
breed the Holsteins and Ayrshires, which
are speclally adapted for such a purpose.
By crossing the Jerseys and Ayrshires we
DIVIDE the propensities Tor both mix and
butter, and the crossed animal Is inferior
to both parents. Its heavy milking pro
perties are lessened and the butter yields
are smaller. Sometimes by the superior
power of either parent first-class animals
are produced, but the breeder can go no
further with the cross. as the crossed ami
mails are OF no fixed type and cannot re-
produce their points of excellence with any
degree of certainty on their young. The
same may be noticed with horses, The
thoroug hired will improve the common
stocE, but cross between the runner and
i trofter VIII not produce runner, though
the troJter is sometimes benefited because
il is not exactly thoroughbred, and the
benefit is derived from the finer bone,
strength and endurance of the higher bred
horse. a merino and Cotswold cross de-
stroys the combining qualities of the wool
from the CotsWoln and takes away the
fineness of belonging 10 the merInU, and
the produce of the white-colOred Chester
hog and black Berkshire is inferior TO eth
er. The thCroughbreGs are possessors of
only one particular dominant quality to
each breed, thOugh often good in other
qualities. This excellence is stamped on
inferior kinds, or its own, only. When
united with another of equal intensity the
union Is incompatible and is not pernla-
nent No animal Is a general purpose
animal, and the only way in which We Car
improve our thoroUgnbreds is to keep then
pure, selecting our breeding animals from
The best OF the breeds, each year endeayor-
ing to more permanently establish ant
adapt the breed 10 the services required
of it; but as it required long periods OF
time 10 bring each breed 10 lis characters
TIC excellence an Outcross only renders Il
difficult to improve, and is often back
ward step.