GENETICS AND BREEDING 167 



breed. The only four records then exceeding 

 that of this grade cow were those of the famous 

 Jersey cows, Jacoba Irene, Sophie 19th of Hood 

 Farm, Olga's 4th Pride, and Adelaide of Beech- 

 land. 



Another similar example is found in a recent 

 report of the performance of a scrub cow in Wash- 

 ington, D.C.i Since this report is very brief, it 

 may be quoted in full. 



"An old black scrub cow No. 131 in a local 

 government herd was last fresh Oct. 6, 1909, and 

 has since been sterile, due to old age (probably 15 

 to 20 years old). From this date to Aug. 1, 1913, 

 she has made 33,066 lbs. of milk." 



This is a remarkable record, and it is quite clear 

 that neither the science of the geneticist nor the 

 art of the breeder had anything to do with the pro- 

 ducing of this old black scrub. 



Purely empirical methods are wasteful and 

 slow in operation, but they may attain excellent 

 results. When they are successful it is obviously 

 because at just that point the practice was, by 

 chance, in exact conformity with the underlying 

 principle or law concerned. More generally it 

 may be said that all progressive success of em- 

 pirical methods depends on a gradual elimination 

 of those operations or practices which do not accord 

 with basic natural laws. In the consideration of 

 the science and practice of breeding this has some- 



1 Hoard's Dairyman, Vol. XLVI, p. 175, Sept. \i, 1913. 



