554 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



breeds is on the increase, it may be well to note some of the re- 

 sults. Mr. Dunham, the great importer of Percherons, reports 

 that he has seen Percherons of two thousand pounds weight 

 successfully bred to mares of nine hundred and one thousand 

 pounds weight, and the produce was neat, large, and finer than 

 the horse. We have noted the dangers of such violent crosses, 

 and will not repeat here. The safer way is to cross, for the first 

 time, the smaller, more compact, and more uniformly well made 

 draft-stallions on the smaller native mares, and then use the 

 produce for mating to the larger type of horses. We may thus 

 reach the size, and avoid the ungainly developments that are so 

 often met with in violent crosses. 



Difficulties in Parturition. As to difficulties in parturi- 

 tion, they seem to be more imaginary than real. The ponderous 

 Percherons and Clydes have been bred to the little broncho 

 mares of the plains, without harm to the mares. If the presenta- 

 tion is correct there is no difficulty. False presentations are al- 

 ways dangerous, and in all animals. The Cots wold and Lincoln 

 sheep have been bred on common and grade merino ewes, and 

 Prof. Miles says he has "failed to meet with a single instance 

 of difficult labor arising from such influence." He says : 

 " The size of the young animal at time of birth is evidently de- 

 termined by the dam, while its development after birth may be 

 influenced by the inherited qualities of either parent." 



Uses of Cross-breeding. The uses of cross-breeding are : 

 First, to counteract the enfeebling tendencies of too frequent in- 

 and-in breeding. Second, to bring together like powers or ten- 

 dencies which have become noted in widely different strains of 

 blood. Breeding trotting-stallions to pacing-mares has produced 

 some of the fastest horses. Third, to improve inferior or scrub 

 stock by use of pure-bred males. The use of thorough-bred 

 stallions on common mares, or shorthorn bulls on common cows, 

 or pure-bred bucks on the Mexican sheep of the plains, has been 

 most useful. It must be remembered that the greatest improve- 

 ment comes with the first cross of the pure-bred sire. 



Agassiz has told us that " no offspring is simply the off- 

 spring of its father and mother. It is at the same time the 



