112 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. 



of either party ; and still more have they respectively reason to be 

 grateful to each other. 



Let us conclude by repeating the advice that, when equal ad- 

 vantages can be attained by keeping a pure breed of sheep, such 

 pure breed should unquestionably be preferred ; and that, although 

 crossing for the purpose of the butcher may be practiced with im- 

 punity, and even with advantage, yet no one should do so for the 

 purpose of establishing a new breed, unless he has clear and well 

 defined views of the object he seeks to accomplish, and has duly 

 studied the principles on which it can be carried out, and is deter- 

 mined to bestow for the space of half a life-time his constant and 

 unremitting attention to the discovery and removal of defects." 



The term crossing is sometimes used in a much more restricted 

 sense, as in the remark of Mr. Boswell in his essay quoted on 

 page 89 where he says, "When I praise the advantage of crossing 

 I would have it clearly understood that it is only to bring together 

 animals not nearly related but always of the same breed." It is 

 evident that such crossing as this is wholly unobjectionable : no 

 one but an avowed and ultra advocate of close breeding would find 

 any fault with it. 



There is yet another style of crossing which when practicable, 

 may, it is believed, be made a means to the highest degree of im- 

 provement attainable, and especially in the breeding of horses. 

 The word "breed" is often used witli varying signification. In 

 order to be understood, let me premise that I use it here simply to 

 designate a class of animals possessing a good degree of uniformity 

 growing out of the fact of a common origin and of their having 

 been reared under similar conditions. The method proposed is to 

 unite animals ^:)0SS(?ssin5r similarity of dedrahle characteridics, xoith 

 difference of breed; that is to say, dilference of breed in the sense 

 just specified. From unions based upon this principle, the selec- 

 tions being guided by a skillful judgment and a discriminating tact, 

 we may expect progeny possessing not only a fitting and symmet- 

 rical development of the locomotive system, but also an amount 

 and intensity of nervous energy and power unattainable by any 

 other method. 



Such was in all probability the origin of the celebrated horse 

 "Justin Morgan"; an animal which not only did more to stamp ex- 

 cellence and impart value to the roadsters of New England than any 

 other, l)ut was the originator of the only distinct, indigenous breed 

 of animals of which America can boast ; — a breed which as fast and 



