g4 BOARD OF AGEICULTURE. 



ing of domestic animals, or in other words, the laws which govern 

 hereditary transmission, and so result in the production of breeds 

 and varieties ; and the first and most important of these, is the 



Law of Similarity. — It is by virtue of this law that the peculiar 

 characters, qualities and properties of the parents, whether exter- 

 nal or internal, good or bad, healthy or diseased, are transmitted 

 to their offspring. This is one of the plainest and most certain of 

 the laws of nature. Children resemble their 'parents, and they do 

 so because these are hereditary. The law is constant. Within 

 certain limits progeny always and every where resembles their 

 parents. If this were not so, there would be no constancy of spe- 

 cies, and a horse might beget a calf or a sow have a litter of pup- 

 pies, which is never the case, — for in all time we find repeated in 

 the offspring the structure, the instincts and all the general char- 

 acteristics of the parents and never those of another species. Such 

 is the law of nature and hence the axiom that " like produces like." 

 But while experience teaches the constancy of hereditary trans- 

 mission, it teaches just as plainly that the constancy is not absolute 

 and perfect, and this introduces us to another law, viz : — thai of 

 variation, which will be considered by and bye ; our present con- 

 cern is to ascertain what we can of the law of similarity. 



The lesson which this law teaches might be stated in five words, 

 to wit : Breed only from the best — but the teaching may be more 

 impressive and will more likely be heeded if we understand the 

 extent and scope of the law. 



Facts in abundance show the hereditary tendency of physical, 

 mental and moral qualities in men, and very few would hesitate to 

 admit that the external form and general characteristics of parents 

 descend to children in both the human and brute races ; but not all 

 are aware that this law reaches to such minute particulars as facts 

 show to be the case. 



\Vc see hereditary transmission of a peculiar type, upon an ex- 

 tensive scale, in some of the distinct races, the Jews and tlio Gyp- 

 sies for example. Although exposed for centuries to tlio modifying 

 influences of diverse climates, to association with peoples of widely 

 differing customs and liabits, they never merge their peculiarities 

 in those of any people with whom they dwell, but continue dis- 

 tinct. They retain the same features, the same figures, the same 

 manners, customs and habits. The Jew in Poland, in Austria, in 

 London, or in New York, is the same ; and the money-changers of 

 the Temple at Jerusalem in the time of our Lord may be seen to- 



