170 



CANADIAN FARM YEAR BOOK. 



ly select for other ipolnts, even color, 

 trusting to luck for vigor and fertility. 

 Is it any wonder that these lurking 

 evils have crept upon us until they 

 often constitute an iasurmountabtle 

 bar to injbreeding, and have invaded 

 even our most carefully outbred 

 herds? 



As inibreeding is the supreme test of 

 a race, so it is of a character; if a 

 character suffers by inibreeding it Is 

 a sign of natural defectiveness and 

 should 1)6 accepted as such, and not 

 laid up as an additional instance and 

 a weapon with which to abuse a system 

 With a history of laudaJble achieve- 

 ment in the past and rich with ipossd- 

 bllities for the future. 



fWlhen we select for vigor and fer- 

 tility we shall hear less of the evils 



of inbreeding. In the meantime we 

 shall hear most about It where vitality 

 and fertility are naturally lowest Both 

 are cardinal requisites, — one for 

 life, the other for reproduction, — ^and 

 both must be possessed in a hlgih de- 

 gee by any individual or family line 

 that is to figure mucih in descent. 



Noting, then, the remarkaWe in- 

 stances of successful inibreeding, as 

 well as its unexamipled capacity for 

 trouible, we arrive at the conclusion 

 that the disaster from inbreeding is 

 prObaWe, but not inevitable. With 

 that much gained, it is worth 

 wihlle to examine further into this dis- 

 puted territory. 



Note: — We are indeibted to Daven- 

 port's Breeds a^d Breeding for this 

 valuable data. — Ed. 



Butter and Milk Tests at London Dairy Show. 



Below is given the yields of the 

 first prize cows or heifers of the var- 

 ious breeds competing In their re- 

 spective breed classes at the I/ondon 

 Dairy iShow, England. In the milking 

 trial the Shorthorns made the most 

 points, with the Holsteins second. The 

 Holsteln had the edge in milk and fat, 

 but the- Shorthorn was higher in 



solids not fat. Guernseys topped the 

 list in solids not fat. 



In the Ibutter tests tlie Jersey scor- 

 ed highest, hav'ng a handicap over 

 the Shorthorn of 137 more days in 

 milk and was allowed 12 points for 

 this. Following is the tabulated list 

 giving 1st prize cows only. 



iShorthom 



Shorthorn heifer 



Liinooln cow 



Lincoln heifer . , 



Jersey cow 



Guernsey cow . . 

 Red Poll cow . . . 

 Holstein cow . . 



Shorthorn . . 

 Jerseys .... 

 pther breads 



