534 THE PEOPLED FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



long as he made that a specialty he had success, and thus beat 

 Laban out of the majority of his flock. 



Jacob understood a basis fact in the art of breeding. " When- 

 soever the stronger cattle did conceive," he sought by his arts 

 to have their offspring of his favorite colors. Thus we are told 

 " the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's." He in- 

 creased his flock from the strong and his father-in-law's from 

 the weak, and soon Laban's sons saw the man Jacob " increased 

 exceedingly," and they said, "Jacob hath taken away all that 

 was our father's." He illustrated the value of the law, " breed 

 only from the best," and he meant by that the "strongest." He 

 also illustrated the law announced by Darwin, viz., that of selection. 

 Darwin has shown, too, that the great improvements made in 

 domestic animals have been made by selection of one point, and 

 breeding to fix that. Jacob bred for color, and to aid in fixing 

 that he sought first the strongest animals, and fixed the color 

 trait in them, and it naturally followed that their get would be 

 of the desired color. 



Bakewell Bred for Quality. Bakewell, of England, in 

 the last century went farther in the application of the law that 

 "like begets like," and did not limit his selection to a general 

 likeness between parent and offspring, but extending the law to 

 the minutest details, he set up a clear ideal or definite standard 

 of excellence for Leicester sheep, Long-horn cattle, and Black 

 cart-horses, and his system of selection proved him to have 

 wonderful ability as a breeder. He regarded these animals as 

 machines for converting the grass and grain of his estate into flesh, 

 wool, milk, and force of greater value. He esteemed as " best " the 

 animal that furnished the largest amount and best quality of 

 animal product from a given amount of food consumed. 



Some men have varied this law erroneously to mean the 

 best horse or cow is the one that consumes the least. The ani- 

 mated machine which will convert the largest amount of raw 

 material into the desired paying product with least possible 

 wear and expenditure of fuel or feed, is the most profitable. 

 The amount of feed consumed must be measured by the amount 

 of force or animal product produced. The raw-boned work- 



