212 PRINCIPLES OF STOCK-BREEDING. 



" The greater admixture of lean mutton, however, 

 more than compensates for this, by giving a superior 

 value to the carcass." l 



In the cross of a superior breed upon the average 

 stock of the farm, the best results can only be ob- 

 tained by a better system of feeding than the original 

 stock had been accustomed to. The old Scotch say- 

 ing, that " the breed is in the mouth," expresses an 

 important truth in stock management. 



An increase in size and the ability to fatten rapid- 

 ly would become a source of weakness rather than an 

 advantage in animals that are unable to obtain a suf- 

 ficient supply of food to give a full and active devel- 

 opment of the system. 



With every improvement in "blood" a corre- 

 sponding improvement in feeding and management 

 must be made, or Nature will surely thwart our plans 

 by asserting her supremacy, and adapting the animal 

 to the conditions in which it is placed. . 



It seems to be the prevailing opinion that the cross 

 of a large male upon the females of a small breed is 

 not advisable, on account of the difficulty in parturi- 

 tion which, it is presumed, would arise from the dis- 

 proportionate size of the offspring. 



This belief must be founded on theoretical consid- 

 erations only, as difficulties of the kind do not often 

 occur in actual practice. After an extended experi- 

 ence during the past ten years, in crossing rams of 

 the Cotswold, Lincoln, and Southdown breeds on com- 



1 Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, 1866, p. 329. For the 

 advantages of crossing pure-bred and common swine, see Harris on 

 "The Pig," p. 36. 



