224 BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



successful as a breeder. If a man wishes to produce race 

 horses, he must use race-horse blood, in which speed has been 

 the important feature. Great records are being made among 

 dairy cattle today, and certain families are noted producers. 

 In studying the history of the development of the modern 

 dairy cow, one will find that the inheritance of producing 

 capacity is a great prepotent feature. Anyone who attempts 

 to establish and develop a herd without being guided by such 

 information will certainly fail in his purpose. 



The importance of an ideal in breeding cannot be over- 

 estimated. Men who have done much to assist in develop- 

 ing breeds, and have become famous in this work, are com- 

 monly called "master breeders." In the upbuilding of the 

 Shorthorn, the Colling Brothers, Bates, the Booths, and 

 Cruickshank were all known as great constructive breeders. 

 These men had their ideals or standards, and bred up to 

 them as closely as possible. Two men start out with herds 

 of cattle of equal merit. One man has ideals of what he 

 should do. He carefully studies his cattle and the laws of 

 heredity, and seeks constantly to improve his herd. At the 

 end of 25 years he has a fine herd, that is a marked improve- 

 ment over his foundation stock, and from which he derives 

 much praise-worthy fame and substantial profit. The other 

 man has no ideals or policy. He is satisfied with things as 

 he receives them, he does not study his business, and as 

 might have been expected, his stock becomes inferior and 

 unprofitable, he gets in debt, and ends possibly in bank- 

 ruptcy. One man is a benefit to his community, the other is 

 not, yet each had an equal chance at the start. 



Certain useful and valuable forms of inheritance exist 

 among the improved types and breeds of farm animals, and 

 the perpetuation of these qualities is most important, if one 

 is to make a success of breeding. Some of these forms that 



