LIVE STOCK BREEDERS. 183 



COWS and had there heen no Spartan cows, the Grove herd wonld have died 

 without wearing the crown as king of Hereford sires. 



We now reach a problem in breeding tliat is a difficult one to solve, 

 one about which our best breeders differ, one which the most successful 

 breeders practice, yet most all breeders condemn. I refer to line breed- 

 ing or breeding animals of same blood lines so closely blended that some 

 tabulated pedigrees have the same blood lines in most every cross. In 

 starting the pure bred herds of all the breeds, in-breeding was resorted 

 to from necessity in forming a type. Even now it is closely followed 

 by some breeders making a type, so that any good judge can pick out in 

 a large show ring the different breeders' cattle by type. There is much 

 to be said both for and against line breeding. 



The best herds have at their head some great sire, with his sons and 

 grandsons in service, in fact, I cannot now recall a noted breeder either 

 at home or abroad who has changed his herd bull every two years, or 

 one who has bought his cows in preference to raising them, that has 

 succeeded in reaching the top or in establishing a distinct type. 



Out-crosses generally help the first cross, but subsequent crosses 

 deteriorate. For this rule we have no less authority than Darwin. We 

 think the same rule holds good in breed lines, that is, in crossing families 

 of the same breed ; but if these families nick I would seek no farther, but 

 would prefer these two families rather than try a third family. I would 

 term the inter-crossing of these two families line breeding. In-breeding 

 I would define as taking a great sire and breeding in and in with his 

 progeny. This process produces some very superior individuals with a 

 great many not so good. 



We condemn this course of line or in-breeding, more from our pro- 

 hibiting bv law such relations in the human family, than from an ob- 

 servance of Nature's teachings. The wild animals in a state of nature 

 necessarily in-breed, yet we have some fine specimens. The wild horse, 

 through the survival of the fittest, keeps the herd in splendid form. Tlie 

 best stallion in their stampedes from wild animals is followed by the 

 fleetest mare : with vicious bite and heels of fire he guards his harem, 

 until the young son, more robust takes his place. 



When we consider environment, it is so closely allied to heredity 

 that the proper treatment of a herd makes environment almost the par- 

 ent of heredity. Were it not so. there could be no progress. The fine 

 herds of to-day owe their superiority to proper handling for generations. 

 It is the selecting and mating of the best, and giving those feeds judi- 

 ciously that build up a healthy animal, that transmit environment. 



Environment can, through necessity, model the form. Darwin tells 

 us that the long neck of the giraffe came by selection through environ- 



