238 BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



Rational selection requires putting a premium on consti- 

 tutional vigor, size, and quality, and then wisely giving 

 fancy characteristics of color, head, or covering of wool 

 secondary consideration. It is not meant that these fea- 

 tures should be ignored. In fact, they serve in part as 

 factors in breed identity, but so also do other things. 

 Nothing is so essential as vigorous constitution, and rational 

 selection would naturally place a premium on this. One 

 may strike the happy medium on fancy points without detri- 

 ment to his herd, and at the same time preserve the desirable 

 qualities, thereby attracting buyers. But what could be 

 more unwise than to neglect constitution in order to maintain 

 some special color character? Yet more than one breeder 

 has been guilty of this. 



The selection of the pedigree. One cannot practice 

 selection and ignore pedigree. Persons familiar with lines 

 of family breeding recognize that more merit exists in some 

 than in others. The men who have been most successful as 

 breeders have always refrained from purchasing animals the 

 pedigrees of which showed undesirable ancestry. Auction 

 sales of live stock bring out various interesting features, 

 chief among which is the relatively higher price paid for 

 animals of recognized satisfactory pedigree. While it is 

 true that in the past many animals have sold at high prices, 

 largely on the basis of pedigree and without merit otherwise, 

 the fact remains that as a general rule, a combination of 

 individual excellence and meritorious pedigree brings the 

 highest price. The man who combines the capable judge 

 and wise interpreter of pedigree is qualified to select to the 

 best advantage. 



