The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-08-06
BIending the breeds.
lcoleman's Rural World.l

NOtCiudn W.
The general desire among breeders to
find an animal that combines all the de-
sirable qualities to be found in several
breeds, has created many a cross-pur-
pose-expensive, both as regards time
and money. Reflection should teach and
convince them that the general purpose
animal Is an impossibility, because ex-
tremes cannot be brought together and
made to serve tremendously. The con-
sideration of the claims of any class of
stock will show that any effort to blend
all breeds into one must result In failure,
as such result will be the oblteration
of the breeds. Take the breeds Of horses
and compare them. The conformation
of the thoroughbred runner, which gal
lops, differs greatly from the trotter,
while the structure of the Clydesdale
and Psrcheron Is SO dissimilar to the
fleet runners and trotters as to utterly
DESTROY the breeds should crossing be
resorted to- Cattle have been classified
into breeds that excel for beef, milk and
butter. These characteristics have been
secured by centuries Of selection. To at
tempt to combine them in one breed is
to destroy them, because where gain Is
made in one direction there Is a cor
responding loss elsewhere, and failure
ensues Two opposites can never be
made to meet, and any deviation from
the work Of centuries will require CEN
turtles of work to overcome what has
been accomplished.
It has been contended that the
crossing of breeds an animal can be
produced that will combine at least
some Of the advantages of both pa
rents. The fact is that there is no
room for experiments in crossing. The
breeds themselves are the results of
crossing, and all such work has been
done long ago. only that the crossing
heretofore done has resulted in Sc
lections which have given farmers
breeds with fixed characteristics. 1t
is, therefore, useless to cross for that
which can be had by direct use of
the breeds that are really the out
come of crosses. The Shorthorn breed
Of cattle, SO famous for producing
beef, is bred with tendency to in
crease their weight in flesh, and in a
short time. They are not adapted to
the production of milk and butter
Except in individual cases), hence the
crossing of the Shorthorn and Hol-
stein will result in an animal that
does not possess the capacity to pro-
duce as much beef as the Shorthorn,
or milk and butter of the Holstein,
the ultimate result being loss in
stead Of a gain.
to secure general purpose animal is
a step backward Instead of the union
being superior to the parent stock, the
final outcome Is the scrub. The care
full selection Of centuries cannot be
improved upon in year or decade.
Hundreds of attempts have been made
to combine the merits Of different
breeds, but the paths only lead to
scrubs and ruin. Each breed has its
dominant talent-its superioty in a
certain line-and to attempt to give
it two talents is to lessen the excel
lence of the one. The farmer who
wishes to improve must not expect
general purpose animal He should
determine in which line Of excellence
he prefers to improve, and then resort
to the source of that improvement.
If he prefers a beef-producing animal,
he should breed for beef only. He
cannot get beef, milk and butter of
the greatest quantity by any combina-
ton. The breeds have long been sep
arated, and he must use them for the
purposes for which they are intended.
1t must be admitted that many of the
scrubs of the present day are the re-
suits of crossing to secure general
purpose animals. In poultry this is
particularly noticeable, as hundreds of
experiments are made in crossing the
breeds every year, but in every case
where departure from purity Of blood
has been made instead of general pur-
pose stock the scrubs have taken the
places of the pure breeds.