DEGENERATION OF ANIMALS. 13 



Anderson of Portland, with the ages of the parents as taken from 

 the catalogue of his herd : Don Bobtail, sire and dam two years 

 old ; Nelson, sire four, dam seven ; Von, sire and dam three ; 

 Zueklah, sire ten, dam nine ; Abbess, sire and dam four ; Exonia, 

 sire and dam seven ; Guerdia,- sire three, dam four ; Nun, sire 

 eleven, dam six ; Buddy, sire three, dam five ; Yolola, sire ten, 

 dam five ; Zitella, sire nine, dam fifteen ; Zivola, sire and dam 

 two ; Zingara, sire eleven, dam five. In conclusion, Mr. Anderson 

 says: "The several parents being of the ages named when their 

 respective progeny were born. Although I expect still better 

 animals in the calves, they are too immature to pass upon in this 

 connection. Although I have had some individual animals as 

 good as the best I ever raised, from parents two years old, yet 

 I am quite well assured that as a general rule, the best are 

 obtained from mature parents, after they have reached their prime, 

 and before they begin to decline." 



In travelling through those sections of country which supply 

 OTir larger cities with milk, you will see, with a very few excep- 

 tions, almost every herd of a dozen or more cows accompanied by 

 a little yearling bull — coarse-horned, big-headed, slab-sided, long- 

 legged and rough-haired. In the summer, after the time of year 

 has passed when the bulls are especially useful, you will often 

 meet on the road droves of these bulls one and two years old — the 

 sires of the next generation of calves. These, having reached an 

 a^e when they require more care and are more expensive to keep 

 than calves, are sold for a small price, and slaughtered. The calf 

 which is selected to be raised is usually the one the butcher wiU 

 not buy. This is not always the case, but it is very rare that a 

 bull is raised because his mother was a famous milker, or for any 

 real or fancied superiority. 



This state of things prevails extensively. Farmers argue that 

 they only need a bull in order to get fresh cows ; that the calves 

 axe of no value to them ; that they rarely raise their heifer calves ; 

 hence it makes no difference to them what sort of bull they have. 

 The stock of every dairy region is, to a considerable extent, 

 supplied from its own herds. There are comparatively few sections 

 where it does not pay to raise veal, at least until it is four weeks 

 old. The use of a thorough-bred bull, not even excepting the 

 Jersey, will greatly increase the size and value of the veal. 

 Besides, however strange it may seem, it is true that thorough- 

 bred bulls, even of breeds not famous as milkers, get heifer calves 

 which are likely to become great milkers. The use of such imma- 



