306 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



OcTCBEE 2, 1909. 



in the same herd, nor should the same sire stand at 

 the head of a herd for more than three or fo'jr years at 

 a time, except for the strengthening of certain especially 

 desirable characters, and then care should be exercised 

 not to weaken the animals in some other particular. 

 The strength of the herd should be kept up by the 

 periodical introduction of strong young males from 

 other herds, whose animals possess in a maiked degree 

 the desired qualities. For general estate jiurposes, 

 the Indian breeds of cattle, the Zebu and the Mysore, are 

 especially adapted, since they are capable of making 

 their greatest development, and of maintaining good 

 health and vigour under the peculiar conditions of 

 a tropical climate. They also provide the necessary 

 size and weight for draught animals, ami often develop 

 good milking qualities. 



It is well known that certain breeds are well 

 established as beef and others as dairy, animal.*. 

 Under conditions of intensive agriculture, these two 

 types are kept separate, for it has been found that the 

 best beef animals are not often profitable for dairy 

 purposes and that the best dairy animals are not 

 usually suitable for beef production. Many of these 

 breeds have been introduced during [).TSt years, and 

 cows possessing some of their characters in a marked 

 degree may be easily recognized. 



Dairymen find that, in addition to maintaining 

 the desired breed characters, it is also necessary always 

 to select for individual characteristics. The production 

 of milk and butter is often an individual character, that 

 is to say the variation in these points is often greater 

 between individuals of the same breed than between 

 individuals of different breeds. The ability to produce 

 large quantities of milk, or milk containing a high 

 percentage of butter fat, is a characteristic which 

 has relation to breed. 



The amount of milk produced by any individual 

 cow may be greatly varied by the quantity and quality 

 of the food ; but the quality of the milk, that is to say 

 the percentage of butter fat, cannot be changed. It is 

 a characteristic of the individual. The amount of butter 

 produced by a cow may be increased by care and good 

 feeding, but the increase in butter is a result of an in- 

 creased Mow of milk, and not of a change in the quality 

 of the milk. The appearance of the dairy cow should 

 be an indication of her milk-producing abilities, in the 

 same way as the appearance of others would indicate 

 their suitability ibr draught and beef animals. 



A dairy cow should be able to convert food into milk 

 and butter to the best possible advantage, while the 

 beef animal should produce tender Hesh, and the draught 

 animal bone and muscle. It is obviously unwise to 



expect that the machinery — if the digestive and secre- 

 tory organs of the cow mav be so designated — which 

 has for its object the conversion of food into milk 

 should be expected to manufacture beef or muscle to 

 the best advantage. 



With regard to the qualities required on anv given 

 estate in the animals maintained for draught, the 

 peculiar conditions on the estate should govern the 

 selection. The size will naturally vary with the nature 

 of the hauls : long pulls in which short, steep hills occur 

 often are much better managed by comparatively 

 small, wiry, nervous cattle, while long pulls on level 

 ground and rough roads are often better done by heavier 

 cattle with less nervous development. These are all 

 points that shoidd engage the attention of the estate 

 owner, manager, or attorney. 



More attention has been paid to selection in the 

 breedinir of horses than in that of cattle. Animals are 

 chosen, because of their i]ualities, to produce offspring 

 wdiich should have all the desirable ones of the parents, 

 possibly with some of them improved upon, or intensified. 



The production of mules in the West Indies has 

 not been accompanied by any systematic process of 

 selection. Excellent sires have been imported, and 

 when the limited immber of mares available for this 

 jiurpose is considered, it would seem that this is all 

 that can be done. Much might be accomplished by 

 selection in the matter of obtaining a better class of 

 estate donkeys. 



During the last few years a very considerable 

 improvement in the local animals has resulted from 

 the introduction of good sheep and goats. Jlaiiy of 

 these pure-breil and half-bred animals are not on 

 estates, but it is within the province of the estate to 

 make the most of the improved strains, and by weed- 

 ing out undesirable animals and allowing those to 

 reproduce in which desired characters are evident, to 

 maintain a steady improvement. Rabbits, hares, and 

 pou.ltry all may be improved by similar means. 



It is evident that much remains to be done in the 

 matter of definite control of the breeding of animals for 

 the production of improved kinds, and of obtaining 

 carefully separated strains for definite purposes. The 

 ct^brts made in this direction should not be confined 

 to the importation of pedigree animals, but a definite 

 and continuous selection of the dams, with certain ends 

 in view, should be m;ide, with the result that indi- 

 viduals will be obtained whose character has an intimate 

 and useful connexion with the purpose for which they 

 are used. In this way, a greater intensive efficiency 

 of both the large and smaller animals will be gained. 



