The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-07
Troubles Of the Breeder.

: mROF. w. j. SPILLMAN, of thu
/. State Agricultural college, read q
paper on THE Troubles of the
Breeder, which was universally praisesdr
A synopsis follows:
Dame Nature has been breeder 81
livestock since time was. She has accom-
plished some wonderful things. too. SinEe
the pliocene age she has developed e.
small dve-toed animal Of the size Of q
fox into the horse as he Is found In the
wiIds of Central Asia today. Going 4 HttAA
farther back. she has changed fishes b1
the sea into the birds and mammals 2e
see about us. She Is little slow In
making changes. because she has only
one method, apparently, and that Is BY
the remorseless destruction Of every
plant or animal that fails to come up "a
her requirements. This method has -
suited In the complete destruction OF all
most every species of plant and animal
that ever lived on the earth
"Of the millions Of kinds Of living BIZ
ings now existing. hundred million yeato
from now perhaps less than dozen Sc
them will have living descendants, the
others being cut on entirely by the re-
1entless use Of the butcher knife which
nature holds over the neck of every living
creature that does not comply with her
demands. Nature depends on chance for
the mating of those beings which should
be mated for the best results But shsA
not use herself. ae may not only destroy
those animals or plants that are not to HIS
liking, but he Is also given the power 70
use Judgment in the mating OF individuAl
plants and animals; by this means he IL
enabled to bring about changes that mig}lS
never have occurred ina state Of natursay
He Is even able to perpetuate and devclcp
characteristics that are valuable to him.
but which In q state of nature would re-
suit In the certain destruction Of the anil
NAL.
Witness the enormous udder Of a tyrs1s
cal dairy COW. This organ was brought Ia
its present state by the aid of man. and ~
requires his attention to preserve the lt&A
Of the animal bearing 1t. Such thtne
would be impossible in q state Of naturor
because such an udder would not be use-
full to the COW In such state. Natl1rn
would drop her knife across the neck Of
the first COW that produced such an udderk
1T is by selecting for breeding purposes
those animals that happen to be born
with more vitality than others; with pow.
or of developing into greater mixers or
better meatmakers. that we are able to
produce such animals as Brown Beside.
Longfellow. Tecumseh Chief or Nancy
Hanks. It Is true that 1t takes the skin
OF the best feeder to find what an anfmaI'n
capabilities are, but Brown Bessies calves
would have been Just as good as they are
If she had never gone to Chicago, the only
difference being that we should neyec
have known 1t.
1.-The number and excellence Of the fetm
that stand out superior to- the main body
determine the success Of the breeding orr
erations. Tho breeder who is to contfnRd
the improvement of his animals will selett
the few that are of great merit to bps
come his future breeding stock. You seet
then, that the man who Is to aid In the
Improvement of a breed must know what
1t takes to constitute high excellence. 90
he may not retain the right animals fS&
bis own use. He must also raise large
numbers OF stock In order to DO able to
select for breeding stock those few that
happen to be of exceptional merit
THE problem is not so difficult with pigs
for the rapdity with which they multiply
gives the breeder opportunity to chooto
the best from a large number. But with
cattle and horses the opportunity for such
selection is greatly reduced. and 1t res
auires higher order Of intellect to bring
success"