No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 431 



ence of atavic transmission, resulting in bequeathing properties to 

 the progeny possessed by superior ancestors. As a rule, however, 

 the transmission would more or less resemble the inferiority 

 possessed by the sire. The breeders of grades are usually content 

 with a very common or inferior pure bred, because of the cheaper 

 cost, but to invest in such is clearly a mistake. The place for all 

 those inferior sires in the block in the case of meat-making animals, 

 and in the dray or van in the case of horses. The breeder who 

 chooses sires thus, makes a grievious mistake. An inferior sire is 

 dear at any price, lie is dear as a gift. The extent to which such 

 sires have been used by the breeders of grades has greatly retarded 

 live stock improvement. 



The view so widely held that while the progeny of the first mating 

 are a great improvement on the females from which they are bred, the 

 progeny of the second mating, and also of succeeding generations, is 

 likely to be inferior, is a fallacy, In up-grading such a result would 

 be clearly impossible The improvement will be continuous until the 

 level of the breed is reached from- which the sires are chosen. It is in 

 cross breeding that such results sometimes follow, that is when sire 

 and dam are mated, each strong in the blood elements of a different 

 pure breed. In such instances, usually, but not always, the progeny 

 is at least the equal of the sire or dam in useful properties, but not in 

 prepotency. The improvement is probably the result of the reno- 

 vating influence that would seem to inhere more or less in introduced 

 alien blood. In succeeding generations, however, there may be a 

 tendency to revert to one or the other of the two breeds thus mated, 

 thus leading to uncertainty in the results and sometimes to retro- 



gression. 



PROMISCUOUS BREEDING. 



What may be termed promiscuous breeding, is the style of breeding 

 most commonly practiced. The average farmer chooses a sire from 

 a certain breed, it may be on the ground of convenience or because 

 the breed for the time being is popular. Soon another breed becomes 

 popular and a sire is chosen from that breed. It may be that in a life 

 time sires have been used from half a dozen breeds. 



Now see what this means. Suppose, for instance, a pure Jersey 

 sire is mated with a grade female of breeding that is much mixed, far 

 more than 50 per cent, of properties in the progeny will be inherited 

 from the Jersey. Suppose that now a pure Holstein sire is used in 

 mating with the female thus begotten, the progeny will possess 

 more than 50 per cent, of Holstein properties, bul the Jersey proper- 

 ties will be proportionately eliminated. Suppose, again, that pure 

 Shorthorn sires are chosen to mate with the grade 1 Holstein males 

 Holstein properties will be proportionately reduced and the Jersey 

 properties will be still further eliminated. Those who breed thus 

 are like the man who, as he walks up the hill, walks down again, or 

 like him who sails continuously in a circle, At the end of a life- 

 time of such breeding the breeder will find himself just where he 

 was when he started. 



Up-grading is the true system of improving live stock. Cross- 

 breeding, tat is the mating of two distinct breeds, should have but 

 little place in the operations of the farmer. It may be advantageous 

 in some instances as when the dams and their progeny are to go to 



