Live Stock Metliods of improving of ivkat neecflary in. 635 



fequence be very great in proportion to the fize of its bones. But this is far, ir 

 is fuppofed, from proving that the practice is eligible.*&quot; And it is Hill further 

 contended in regard to cattle, that as in this fyftem of breeding no expenfe is 

 fpared in feeding the young ftock, the breed Ihould of courfe have attained a 

 larger fize : yet they are not only lefs but, it is afferted, &quot; carry lefs fat on their bed 

 points than the Herefordfhirc cattle,&quot; which from the firft year are kept in a much 

 inferior manner, -J* 



The effects of the fame method in the dog have been fpund in fome degree firm- 

 Jar ; &quot; the breed has become lefs in fize, but not lefs keen or active, and by 

 crofli.ig again with a breed of no larger fize, it has attained its former weight. 

 It is likewife added, that fome experiments of eroding the breeds of plants, have 

 thoroughly convinced the writer, c that in the vegetable as well as the animal 

 world the offspring of a male and female not related, will poflefs more ftrength 

 and vigour than when they were both of one family. &quot; It is not however fuppofcd 

 &amp;lt;c that eroding fimilar breeds of cattle has ever a goad effect: as the breeds 

 mix with- &amp;gt;ar aflimilating. When the long-horned breed of cattle has been crolTed 

 \vith the Hercfordfhire, fome of the offspring have followed one breed and fome 

 the other, and fome prefented an awkward mixture of both.JJ 



In this ftateor the facts, no certain conclufions can therefore be drawn. The 

 fafeft plan is, probably, to have recourfe to both methods, according to the nature 

 of the improvement that may be required; and as there is no poffible means yet 

 difcovered of rendering accidental varieties in either the animal or vegetable 

 kingdom, permanent, the beft way is conflantly to breed from the beft and moft 

 perfect animals of their kind. 



It is indeed obvious, that in the croffing method of breeding, though it muft be 

 allowed to be extremely ufeful in many refpects, the greateft care and circumfpec- 

 tion mould be employed to adapt the animals in the moft perfect manner to the 

 nature of the improvement which is required ; otherwife the breed may be in dan 

 ger of fuftaining injury inflead of advantage. From the vague and random man 

 ner, indeed, in which attempts to improve the breeds of live ftock, on this princi 

 ple, have in general been conducted, it would fcem not improbable but that 



* Knight in Communications to the Board, vol. II. f Ibid. Ibid. 



Ibid. || Ibid- 



4 M 2 



