The Regional Problem 89 



nor shorthorn to come between the two for the 

 production of the type required. Most of the 

 land now unfit for the shorthorns could be made 

 fit for them at a profit, as in my own case, but since 

 we do not make the land fit the cow, let us make the 

 cow fit the land. The ill condition of the land is 

 a question of human efficiency, and it is not easy 

 for people to do better who have not seen better ; 

 but the cow responds at once to any intelligent 

 attempt at her improvement. For the regions I 

 have in view, it seems to me quite impossible to 

 produce the required cow by pure shorthorn sires 

 on a female foundation of native stock alone ; and 

 even if we grant the possibility, it is still a long 

 way round as compared with the other course. 

 We want more substance in the native stock before 

 they can reproduce from pure shorthorn sires a 

 type to suit these regions. 



The second experiment, starting much lower, 

 from native blood alone, and with so much more 

 room for improvement, shows a still greater rate of 

 advance ; but it does not follow that the greatest 

 rate of improvement implies the best result. The 

 starting point and the nature of the material 

 have to do with this. The two lines run 

 side by side, on the same treatment, with 

 the male parentage pure shorthorn in both 

 alike, but with the female foundation in the 

 one line solely native stock, in the other a 

 mixture in equal parts of native stock and 

 red poll ; and both lines are kept unrelated 

 through the sires, so that I can cross them at 



