CHAPTER 2 



BREEDING, CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF FARM ANIMALS 



BY W. H. TOMHAVE 

 Professor of Animal Husbandry, The Pennsylvania State College 



BREEDING OF LIVESTOCK 



History of Animal Breeding. The first systematic work in animal 

 breeding was done among the Arabians. This is indicated by the character 

 of the Arabian horses that were developed during the sixteenth and seven- 

 teenth centuries. Following the Arabians, the French did the next con- 

 structive breeding of animals, which was at that time encouraged by the 

 French Government in the developing of their breeds of horses. The most 

 important animal breeding from the point of view of the American farmer 

 of today was done by the people of the British Isles during the last half of 

 the eighteenth century, and throughout the entire nineteenth century. 

 Robert Bakewell is known as the foremost early breeder of livestock, 

 having begun his work about 1764 and continued it until the time of his 

 death. He was followed by noted men such as Collings Brothers, Booth 

 and Bates, all of whom were early breeders of Shorthorn cattle. Amos 

 Cruickshank was probably the most noted breeder of recent years, and was 

 recognized as the peer among the Shorthorn breeders of Scotland during 

 the nineteenth century. Great interest was then shown in developing 

 the various classes of livestock and this has resulted in giving us our present 

 breeds of pure-bred livestock. 



The foundation work in animal breeding in America was done largely 

 during the last half of the nineteenth century. The foundation animals 

 used by most of the noted breeders were imported into the United States 

 and Canada from Europe. Large importations of well-bred animals were 

 made into the United States from 1880 up to 1900. Since that time only 

 limited importations have been made into this country, as most of the 

 noted animals in America at the present time are the product of American 

 breeders. While a great deal of work has been done in both Europe and 

 America, less than two per cent of all the farm animals in the United States 

 and Canada at the present time are of pure breeding. This seems to indi- 

 cate that there is a fertile field for livestock breeding for the American 

 farmer. 



Lines of Breeding. There are three distinct lines of breeding that can 

 be followed by the American farmer. These may be enumerated as 

 follows : breeding of pure-breds, grading and cross-breeding. The breeding 



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