No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 433 



with profit use that sire on two generations, but unless those con- 

 ditions are present, he might make a very serious mistake. 

 Now the ordinary farmer does not observe closely enough to enab'e 

 him to do these things right, and for that reason I do not recommend 

 the ordinary farmer to practice inbreeding at all. 



The SECRETARY: Isn't it true that if you have vigor and stamina 

 and strength on both sides, that by inbreeding you are likely to 

 intensify it? 



PROF. SHAW: Yes, exactly. 



The SECRETARY: And if there is some weakness you are likely 

 to intensify that weakness? 



PROF. SHAW: Yes. 



The SECRETARY: You think it to be dangerous to undertake 

 inbreeding without special study and qualifications for it? 



PROF. SHAW: I think so; I never recommend it to the average 

 man who has not given attention to this question. 



DEPUTY SECRETARY MARTIN: Would it be a good practice 

 for a man having thoroughbred Jersey cows, to use a thoroughbred 

 Guernsey sire for these cows? 



PROF. SHAW: That would depend on what he was seeking to 

 accomplish. If he intended to go on breeding Guernseys I see no 

 objection to it, but to introduce Guernsey blood once and then go 

 back again to Jersey, I do not see any reason why he should do that. 



MR. HUTCHISON: Don't you think he would do better to breed 

 along the Jersey line? 



MR. SHAW: Yes, by proper selection; that is mv way of doing 

 it. 



MR. HUTCHISON: How do you account for breeding a mare 

 weighing 1400 pounds and getting a big, rough animal weighing 1800 

 pounds? 



PROF. SHAW: What was the breeding of the mare? 



MR. HUTCHISON: I don't know about that. 



PROF. SHAW: There I imagine would be the difficulty. If the 

 ancestry of that animal was not known, it is probable that some one 

 of the ancestors was of that character, and this possibly would be 

 an instance of reversion of that kind. 



The SECRETARY: Is there any way in which a breeder can con- 

 trol or influence sex? What I mean is this; you know that a man 

 who is breeding for beef wants males, and a man who is breeding for 

 dairy purposes, wants females. 



PROF. SHAW: Practically. I would say, no. Now, when I say that 

 I do not want to be understood as saying that a man can do abso- 

 lutely nothing with reference to that; I do not want to say that, 

 because I am inclined to believe that stamina and vigor have some 

 influence, but not enough, to make it absolutely certain that 



28—6—1905 



