THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



409 



qualitieg, and are adapted for the same purpose aa themselves. 

 Several very beautiful, instructive, and interesting illustrations 

 were produced to prove that diseases arising from accident, as 

 well as constitutional idiosyiicracy, curious tricks, acquired 

 habits, vicious and peevish tempers, as well as good tempers, 

 &c., were hereditary, or transmissible from parent to offspring. 

 Now comes the vexed question, " Which has the predominat- 

 ing influence on the progeny, the male or the female parent ? 

 If both parents join to form the child, does one parent give 

 one group of organs and the other parent another group; 

 or do both give all ?" This subject is so very interesting, and 

 it is so important, that the breeder should come to some 

 deCnite conclusion upon it, that he felt justiSed in occupying 

 a considerable part of their time in its investigation. Several 

 great men were mentioned who maintain that the male 

 parent furnishes the external configuration, or, in other 

 words, the locomotive organs ; while the female parent gives 

 the internal or vital organs, each absolutely independent of 

 the other. Other equally celebrated observers declare that 

 it is quite the reverse, the female preponderates always in 

 the locomotive organs, and the male in the vital organs. 

 Others again, equally as eminent, assert that both theories 

 are wrong; that the male always gives external configura- 

 tion or locomotive organs, and the female the internal or 

 vital organs, but do not mean it to be inferred that either 

 parent gives either set of organs uninfluenced by the other 

 parent, but merely that the leading characteristics and 

 qualities of both sets of qualities are due to the male on the 

 one side and to the female on the other, the opposite parent 

 modifying them only. He (Mr. Evans) believed they were 

 all wrong— that the truth lies between them. He related 

 many very beautiful and interesting facts in support of each 

 theory, which seemed conclusive in themselves; but he 

 maintained it was not fair to look at one set of facts alone, 

 and shut our eyes to others. It was by an impartial survey 

 of them all that we get the truth. There was an able article 

 upon this subject in the Westminster Revieio, with which he 

 fully agreed, which says " That both parents are always re- 

 presented in the offspring ; and although the male influence 

 is sometimes seen to predominate in one direction, and the 

 female influence in another, yet this direction is by no 

 means constant, is often reversed, and admits of no absolute 

 reduction to a known formulo. We cannot say absolutely, 

 the male give such organs ; we cannot even say the male 

 always predominates in such or such a direction. Both 

 give all organs. Sometimes one predominates, sometimes 

 the other. In one family we see children resembling the 

 father, children resembling the mother, and children resem- 

 bling both." He (Mr. Evans) knew many breeders who 

 had suffered great disappointments and losses by practising 

 upon the theory that the female does not give the external 

 configuration, nor has any part in the locomotive organs. 

 One of the greatest curses in horse breeding is that there 

 are but few good brood mares kept. He had no hesitation 

 in saying that, as a general rule, and the only safe one to go 

 by, the female has as much influence on the configuration of 

 the progeny as the male has. The successful breeder never 

 uses a middling female to breed from, trusting to the excel- 

 lency of the male to make amends. If he has not a good 

 female he will not attempt to breed. Seeing, then, that 

 there is a diversity, that sometimes the influence of the male 

 parent predominates, and sometimes the females, in each 

 system of organs, let us inquire into the causes. Several 

 illustrations were brought forward to prove that it depended 

 upon potency of race, upon the vigour, health, and age of 

 the parents at the time of copulation. The most potent or 



vigorous parent will have the greatest influence upon the 

 offspring. The lecturer said, I .shall now pass on to notice 

 more particularly the practical application of these laws. 

 It is a common but silly question, " Which breed of 

 animals is the best for the farmer?" Some advocate short- 

 horns, others advocate the long-horns, others the medium- 

 horns, and others will have no horns at all. A particular 

 kind is sometimes advocated under all circumstances to the 

 exclusion of all others. Such persons remind me of those 

 disputants about the true colour of the chamelion ; all are 

 right, and all are wrong, depending upon the point from 

 which the object is examined. That breed of animals is 

 the most profitable which is better adapted to that parti- 

 cular locality. One class do better on upland, others on 

 lowland ; some do better grassing, others do better housed. 

 It also depends upon the demand of the neighbouring markets. 

 In some parts cheese-making pays best ; in other parts milk j 

 in other parts meat, &c. In some districts it pays better to 

 breed draught horses, in others hackneys and hunters, in 

 others racehorses, in others ponies, &c. What I wish to 

 impress deeply upon your mind is this : Every breed has its 

 own peculiar conformation, and that conformation you will 

 find, upon close investigation, to be peculiarly well adapted 

 for a particular purpose ; and when you adopt and cultivate a 

 certain breed, you must always keep that purpose and that 

 conformation steadily in view. If you lose the conformation, 

 you will soon lose the purpose. For instance, we may divide 

 cattle into two primary classes : 1, For fattening and arriving 

 at early maturity ; 2, For dairy purposes. For illustration, 

 take two cows, one from each class, and you will find their 

 shape or conformation diametrically opposed. Go to any herd 

 you please, and you will find that just in proportion as the 

 animals represent the shape of class 1 so are they disposed to 

 fatten ; and in the proportion they represent class 2 are they 

 fit for dairy purposes. These classes may again each be divided 

 into different divisions : A is better adapted for high land ; 

 B is better adapted to low land ; C is better adapted for out- 

 door living ; D is better adapted for living in-doors, and so 

 on. Each division has its own distinct peculiarity of external 

 conformation. That enables us to say at once which will do 

 here, and which will do there. It is all-important that the 

 breeder should be thoroughly acquainted with these " points," 

 or proper shape of his stock ; but I should depart from my 

 subject if I discussed them this evening. However, I know 

 many farmers who think that there is only one proper shape 

 for the horse — draught horses, hackneys, hunters, racers, all 

 should be the same outline. They take the hunter as a 

 standard of comparison, and the only proper difference they 

 allow between him and others is not in the shape, but in the 

 weight and bulk of bone and muscle within the same height 

 and length. The race-horse should be more slender and finer, 

 and the cart-horse stouter and more hairy. As I know that 

 such a notion exists, you will permit me to say a few words 

 to show its absurdity. It is surprising how few farmers know 

 the proper points of a horse ; and many of the " knowing 

 ones," in fact, know less than nothing. In that excellent 

 journal, the Farmer^s Magazine, for October, 1836, there is an 

 article upon the cart-horse, advocating the same oblique 

 shoulder for the draught and for the hackney-horse, which is 

 certainly a most ignorantly absurd and grossly fallacious doc- 

 trine. We may also divide horses into two primary classes : 

 to carry weights on the back, and go fast ; and to draw weights 

 after them. It is evident that they are destined for very 

 different purposes, and must set to work in a very different 

 manner. The first-class has to carry the rider safe at a fast 

 rate. For this purpose the fore-legs ought to reach over much 



