ON BREEDING. 209 



breeding, only as we trace them through the early Herd Books, 

 than of the Collings, and Bates. All these herds were of high 

 reputation, and their blood, passing since through the hands of 

 other breeders, is now widely, by importation, scattered over the 

 United States and the Canadas. 



We would not be invidious in naming these particular breeders 

 and their stocks, nor the short-horn breed, but to illustrate a fact. 

 Every improved race of cattle in Britain has been more or 

 less so in-and-in bred Devons, Herefords, Long-horns, Ayr- 

 shires, Highlands, Galloways, Alderneys, and the famous "Dutch" 

 cows of Holland. It was indispensable so to do, to concentrate 

 their good qualities until a standard of excellence had been 

 attained, from which the breeders could strike out into more 

 divergent blood. 



Thus, the fact that in-and-in breeding, of itself, having a ten- 

 dency to deteriorate the quality of the produce is shown to be 

 fallacious, so far as those breeders were concerned : the manner of 

 doing so is quite another thing. Interbreeding in such close 

 relation, is a nice possibly a hazardous thing, and can only be 

 practiced by experienced men who are good physiologists, have 

 a just appreciation of both the good and indifferent qualities 

 which their cattle possess, and the knowledge how to couple 

 them together to produce favorable results. 



The great merits and object claimed for in-and-in breeding, is 

 the concentration of good blood in the animal so bred, enabling 

 him or her to transmit that blood strongly, not only in the herd 

 where they originated, but in other herds to which they may be 

 removed. We do not, in fact, believe that many who object to 

 the so-called "in-and-in" practice of breeding, really appreciate 

 their own course of practice, while they are constantly pursuing 

 that which they condemn. 



Our attention has been recently called to this subject by Mr. 

 T. S. Humrickhouse, of Coshocton, Ohio, a breeder of cattle 



