546 Transactions of the 



therefore, important, that in the selection of animals for breeding the 

 question of appearance be never lost sight of. It is not necessary to en- 

 large further on the question of color, except to saj 7 that while tastes 

 vary in this matter, and while there are still man}* who prefer uniform 

 dark colors, the writer's own observation indicates that a small amount 

 of white is more often preferred, even by those who attach the greatest 

 importance to appearance; and that while, with a view chiefly to orna- 

 mental uses, buff noses, brindles, and a very large proportion of white — 

 one half or more — are undesirable, attention should be paid chiefly to 

 delicacy of form, softness of expression, especiallj* about the eye, fine- 

 ness of horn and tail, and a general thoroughbred look. 



Bearing these less essential points in view, the purpose should be to 

 secure animals of perfect quality for domestic uses or for the dairy, for 

 both of which precisely the same characteristics are desirable. 



The key to all success must lie in the selection of the bull. That he 



•should be individually perfect is sufficiently understood, but much more 



than this is necessary tor systematic success. The immediate qualities 



of the animal himself — his form, fineness, richness, delicacy, and milky 



look — although important, should be reall}* a secondary consideration. 



The fundamental principle of successful breeding may be thus ex- 

 pressed: Like produces like, or the likeness of some ancestor. Perhaps 

 it should rather be said, the likeness of some ancestors; for the qualities 

 transmitted are doubtless the sum of the preponderating qualities of the 

 bull's ancestors. In looking back over the history of the family, we 

 have two things to regard; first, the quality of the dam and the grand- 

 dams for generations back; second, the character of the progeny of the 

 ancestral bulls. This constitutes the great value of pedigree — a value 

 that cannot be availed of, unless by the aid of the pedigree we investi- 

 gate the characteristics of previous generations. 



The importance of the bull lies in the fact that his progeny is greatly 

 more numerous than that of any individual cow, and is to manifest itself 

 in the future progeny of the whole herd. So far, however, as individual 

 progeny is concerned, the dam is of equal value with the bull, and her 

 goodness is more clearly manifest, because we have her udder production 

 immediately before us for observation. It does not follow that the calf 

 of a good cow will necessarily be itself good; if the likeness of the pro- 

 geny is to herself, it will be good; but there is always strong reason to 

 believe that the progeny will take its characteristics from the cow's dam 

 or sire, or from some more remote ancestor, and that defects not mani- 

 fest in her own case will crop out in her produce. 



The history of the race in this country is too short, and records have 

 been kept with too little care, for any considerable investigation in this 

 direction to be made. The real improvement must begin, now, when, 

 with the aid of recorded complete pedigrees, we can trace the whole line 

 of descent, and follow, from this time on, the characteristics of the indi- 

 viduals of successive generations, excluding, step by step, all inferior 

 animals, and selecting bulls in whose blood are concentrated the virtues 

 of unexceptionable ancestry. Or, perhaps it would be better to say that 

 we shall be able to exclude points of defect in ancestry, eliminating from 

 generation to generation whatever may tend to a reproduction of unde- 

 sirable qualities, and so securing better and better bulls as our work 

 goes on. 



In the present state of the art we must depend chiefly on the selection 

 of good female ancestors; but henceforth the character of the progeny 

 of male ancestors should be taken more and more into the account, as 



