Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-04-01
PEDIGREE AND FEED.
Facts Demonstrating That Feeding Alone
VIII Perpetuate Pine breeds.

Facts Demonstrating That FeedinR Aioh0
VIII Perpetuate Pine Breeds.
Old-fashioncd farmers were former.
ly very incrcdulous Of inherent I'm.
provcments IN breeds, and loved to Mt.
tribute superiority Of individual stock
10 better management and feeding.
Hence the aforementioned saying OF
MI old farmer, on looking at n prize
pen Of plump porkcrsr. "Thc breed Is
not got from the pedigree. but from
the owners full corn crib" OF course,
this was not the view Of the profcs.
sional breeder. Each class magnilicd
the Importance Of the specially In
which he cxccllcd. But back Of the
thoroughbred stock we have had we'll
organized associations, with plenty Of
money To advertise ard with literary
skill to push the claims of their special.
ties. These influences have made
their impression, not, perhaps, too
deeply, but in some eases to the sup
preston of other truths equally
worthy Of consideration.
Nobody now disputes the great i'm
pOrtancc, even 10 owners Of native
stock. Of using thoroughbrcds Of the
spccialtics required TO grade up their
stock TO 4 higher standard. But the
corrclativc truth that this proficiency
is the result OF feeding and climatic
conditions is less thought Of. This pre-
potency Of the thoroughbred in liking
its characteristics on its progeny Is the
result OF n continued course of manage
mcnt, IN which climate food and care
are quite rs important factors aS purity
of blood. No amount Of skill in breed
Ing for desired results would avail II
not supplemented by other conditions.
At the base OF every improvement Of
stock for any purpose is natural ten
dcncy in that direction which gives the
hint To an intelligent breeder rs to the
kind of excellence for which he should
aim. To 20 against this tendency is
evidence OF such unskillful breeding
that il can only invite failure.
Liberal feeding il essential in sccrr'
Ing breeds which attain large size AMI
mature early. Thus the Shorthorn
cattle aud large, cOarsc-woolcd sheep
Of England naturally originated in fer.
tile lowland countries where feed was
always abundant. The Down sheep,
whose superiority lies in the eXccllcncy
If their mutton, were naturally bred
from sections where nutritious grassc,
gave n peculiar and distinct flavor to
the flesh. Some have even claimed
that the superiority Of Jersey cows foi
the production Of butter Of the highest
quality i, primarily due 10 the food
which they have had for successive
generations. The island is small and
80 heavily stocked with cattle that II l.
impossible to maintain 80 many al
pasture. Cows are stabbed or yardcd
through the year. In summer they are
given variety OF green food. In win
ter parsnipS and carrots take the place
Of the English farmer turnip. As most
farmers know. there j. no food better
than carrot, and par,nip~ for paLinga
good flow of rich milk and excellent.
high.colorcd butter. In time this kind
of feeding. combined with careful Sc
lection in breeding those animals which
show it, effects most markedly. has cs-
lablishcd Thu peculiarly in distinct
breed.
Early maturity and aptitude 10 fat
ten are characteristics most easily AMI
quickly fixed by skillful feeding. Much
has been done with all kind, OF stock
bred for meat by careful feeding. IL
has been an enormous gain in cheap
ness OF production 10 change the time
for maturing fattcning cattle from
four or five TO three years or even less
One hundred years ago the common
cattle of England were poorly-icd, ani
their slowncSS in maturing was such
that not until four or five years old
could they be proitably fai,cned. Now
more beef Of better quality can be- made
from three or even two ycar-oldS. By
judicious feeding from birth, we'll
fa,tcncd beef of good quality has been
made from steers little more than Il
year old.
One drawback in most breeding tx
pcrimcnts in this country is that our
great staple, Indian corn, is apt,o form
too large proportion Of the feeding
ration. i, is too carbonaccOus a food,
aud does not give yigOr of constitution
Excellent rs corn-mcal is to fatten rap
idly. II is not good to give much of 1t
to breeding animals, kepttopcrpctua,c
the characteristic Of easy and early fat
tening. The prevalence Of hog cholera
in the West is largely and probably
correctly attributed to exclusive corn
feeding. But We can not expect tina; u
change IN diet will ut once relieve the
effects of this system Of feeding con-
tinucd through successive generations
Lack of constitutional vigor which pre-
disposcs to disease is cumulative.
Under the better care which farm
stock gets in these times we are able to
keep proiitably classes of animals
which would quickly die out II left to
shift for themselves. But there are
limits TO the improvements in breeding
animals in any one direction which can
not be ignored wiSiout destroying their
value in nearly every othcr.-Aner'cdn
CHlticdtor.
THE JER SEI.