The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-08-08
Fixing the Qualities Of Breeding stock.
philadelphia Record


a breed, or even q strain is not established
IN q single generation. Each successive year
DEMONSTRATES superiority and improvement
in all classes of stock. and as the acquired
qualities become permanent aud inherent it
IS demons trated that the field is still open for
further advances. We have not arrived 81
that stage In breeding stock as yet in which
We can feel an assurance that The best points
and CHARACTERISTICS of parents will descend TO
the offspring with certainty. Oar best strains
OF horses, sheen, cattle and hogs are stronP
evidences that such IS the fact. Take our
trotiing breed of horses for example.
The breed is new one, in
certain sense, as compared with others,
and the Improvement las been rapid
and wonderful, but the best sires have pro-
duced bat few OF their gel that have full
filled all that may have been desired. Even
Ham ble tonian, whose Sons and daughters
have made him famous, produced only one
first class animal in every hundred, and Har-
old, the sire OF Maud s, can claim bat q very
lew that are destined to compare with her
from among the hundred that ne sired
Mambrino, Pilot, Taller, General X nox, Ry5-
dick, Aberdeen, Messenger, Daroc and many
other good sires had splendid chances bat
the number Of their oifsprine that rate down
low in the records is very limited.
The same NAV be said OF the thorough
breds. though they nave been more success
FIJI han the trOteTs-fo- hundreds Of colts
and ii lies are credited TO stations that fail to
produce more than one first-clRss represents
tive on the turf Grand as Lexingt IN was
With his fourteen mile record OF 7:19H. j
was twenty years and more before it was cat
down, and be has no sOn living that can be
claimed TO be successful as q sire.
Since the introduction OF the Chester
white hog, Its size, shape, and external
marks have been modified dozen times. IL
was long time before they bred true to
anything bat color; and al the present tina
despite the improvement made with them.
they do not transmit their characteristics /,
strongly AZ do some of the longer established
breeds. The Berkshires, on the contrary
with their four white feet and white faces,
demonstrate the result of a continued per
sistency to attain these MARKS; and the good
qualities of the breed are also firmly 6xed
as well, but each year gives progress with
them also.
Our CotswOlds are entirely unlike those OF
Blackwell, from whence they sprung, and our
South downs are closer-grained harder and
better adapted to our purposes while the
heavy heeces OF the Merinos which have
doubled in weight as compared with few
years ago, attest the efficiency and success of
breeders nth our sheep.
These results are only obtained by careful
and iuoicisl selection. We may never again
produce another Lexington, nor equal Han-
bletODian as source; but. rs there is no
possible limit to improvement, we may in
tune produce a greater proportion of excel
eflent animals. the qualities being more
indelibly fixed in general than at present
Each season witnesses fresh addition to the
list OF "marvels," and, with tbs came con
tinued care in breeding, the superior amin ais
will pred6 inmate over the inferior. and not
until then can we safely claim InfaiIibility
in aD animal to transmit bis characteristics
to all his progeny With uniformity.