BREEDING FOR THE BUTCHER. 117 



before said, that our friend cannot tell how it can be done 

 every time. There are conditions, there are circumstances of 

 which we are ignorant, and it seems to me we must ever 

 remain so, so far as regards producing constant and exact 

 results. 



Mr. Holland. If I understand Mr. Flint correctly, the 

 elements of transmission were very weak on the side of his , 

 CAves, and very strong on the side of his ram ; and, as I 

 understand it, by the cross he made he got some very superior 

 lambs. Now, if we reduce this power on the female side, 

 and get an animal that has a very strong power on the male 

 side, why isn't the assurance still stronger that we are going 

 to get what we want for the time being ? 



]Mr. Flint. You can breed in that way for the butcher to 

 very great advantage, but my idea was that in selecting a 

 breeding animal, we ought to take care to see that this hered- 

 itary power is strongly intensified in the system. If you 

 are breeding for the butcher, that cro^s would be just the 

 right cross. If you use a Shorthorn bull on what we call a 

 native or grade cow, you get a better calf for the butcher 

 than the cow was naturally, because early maturity, rapid 

 growth and large accumulation of muscle in proportion to 

 food consumed, are among the strongest characteristics that 

 are accumulated in the system of the Shorthorn l)ull, and 

 these points are very weak in the native or common cow. 

 Now, I say, if you want to breed for the butcher, there is no 

 better way than that ; but if you want to breed for constant 

 improvement of breeding stock, it is very desirable that you 

 should study to obtain a like character in both the male and* 

 female. Then, if the parents are alike, the point I made was 

 the power of transmitting those qualities to the ofispring was 

 strengthened. If the parents were unlike, — if one had very 

 strong power of hereditary transmission and the other a very 

 weak one, — then you got offspring like the one that had the 

 strongest power of transmissign. If that strength was accu- 

 mulated on the part of the male, you got in the offspring the 

 likeness of the male, especially in external form. If that 

 power of transmission is accumulated in the female, then you 

 will have an offspring that will resemble the female in external 

 form ; that is, the offspring will take after the parent that 



