46 THE JERSEY, ALDERNEY AND GUERNSEY COW. 



able) than with the character of his dam and both his 

 gra7idda77is . The great cardinal principle of judicious 

 breeding is expressed In the theory that ' like begets 

 like or the likeness of some ajicestorJ The more remote 

 any ancestral imperfection may be, the less likely is it 

 to reappear. But, in the case of a bull, on which so 

 much depends, there should be no glaring defect in the 

 dams for at least two generations back, and, of course, 

 the longer the pedigree in which we can trace only first- 

 rate cows, the better by far will be our chances of 

 success. 



"■ This suggests incidentally another point on which 

 an erroneous opinion seems to prevail. It is consid- 

 ered of great advantage to a Jersey cow in America 

 that she has a sho7^t pedigree. This is very well simply 

 as an evidence of pure Jersey blood, but it has no other 

 signification. If a reliable pedigree can be given and 

 the purity of every ancestor proven for ten generations, 

 the animal has, so far as purity is concerned, every 

 advantage of an imported one ; while the assumption is, 

 and it will hold good in case of all our breeders who 

 have kept accurate records for a long time, that the 

 animal has been bred with more care, and consequently 

 is intrinsically better, than one that has been bought in 

 the market-place of St. Heller, without a pedigree or a 

 history, and sold on arrival here for $300 or ^400. 



" One great advantage that it is hoped will result 

 from the establishment of this Herd Book is, the Intro- 



