48 



The Joiirnal of Heredity 



ASSYRIAN HORSES IN ACTION 



This picture is from a marble slab carved more than six centuries before the Christian Era 

 The horses of that time, according to the carving, were of a better type than many of the scrub 

 and grade horses now userl tn- fanners in the United States. (Courtesv of National Museum.) 

 (Fig. 34.) 



dency for ptirebred-sire owners to 

 acquire purebred females — the De- 

 partment of Agriculture does not urge 

 purebred female stock on the average 

 farm. Whether purebred females 

 should be kept is a matter of individual 

 judgment, depending on circtmistances 

 which the lixestock owner is best able 

 to know. The successful breeding of 

 purebred livestock as a business calls 

 for close attention and considerable 

 experience, both in production and 

 marketing. By contrast, the purpose 

 of the better-sires movement is to 

 raise the average (|uality of all live- 

 stock in the I'nited States. 



The Department therefore goes no 

 further than to urge the use of good 

 purebred sires. It believes that after 

 ha\ ing taken that step livestock owners 

 will coiiliiHie l(» improNc their domestic 



animals, raising either grades, cross- 

 breds, or purebreds — or stmie of each — 

 whichever seems best suited to the kind 

 of farming followed, and to a\'ailable 

 markets. 



In connection with the foregoing rec- 

 ommendation the Department points 

 out that the breeding of good live- 

 stock is by no means a new in- 

 dustr\-. Ancient carvings show classes 

 of dimiestic animals which appear to 

 have been very creditable, and, judg- 

 ing from obtainable e\idence, some of 

 the animals centuries ago were of better 

 type than the mort' inferior animals 

 in the I'nited States t(Klay. This fact 

 points out the need for contiiuied study 

 ami the use of good brei-ding stock. 

 Kconomic conditions of totlay require 

 the most efficient li\e-stock we can 

 pnxluce. 



