104 STATES OF THE RIVER PLATE. 



true quality, ending, ultimately, in defeating the primary 

 object. The ' out '-cross, to repair decreasing vigour, 

 becomes a necessity. It is required to restore the equi- 

 librium of healthy development. ' In '-breeding carried 

 beyond a certain limit would, it is more than probable, 

 of itself produce degeneracy ; but the danger in sheep- 

 breeding is remote, except when a very small number 

 are kept ; as, by the rule of selection, the most perfect 

 rams should always be destined to propagate the race ; 

 and when the stock comprises several hundreds of ewes, 

 there are several families in different grades of relation- 

 ship, and the probability is that the best rams result from 

 different branches, and different combinations of these 

 branches, in the course of selection. 



The object of high-caste breeding is to produce rams to 

 raise the type, and generally to improve the stock of the 

 country, and to create new varieties by crossing with 

 others. In this operation, it must be borne in mind, that 

 there is something more than an ' out '-cross — it is a cross 

 between distinct varieties ; and as this is done — i. e. the 

 improvement of races, or the creation of new types — 

 through the dominant procreative power of the males of 

 superior caste, it is very desirable that the power of trans- 

 mitting type should exist in the males in the highest 

 degree — a result of ' high ' or ' in '-breeding. It is, there- 

 fore, of the greatest importance to the sheep-breeder that 

 the rams which he uses, with the object of improving his 

 stock, should be ' in '-bred. I have had signal success 

 by adopting this practice ; and I have extended the 

 practice with the like success with the ewe progeny of 

 these ' in '-bred rams — putting rams to them closely allied 

 to their sires, and even the same sires. 



There is a very large number of sheep-farmers — in 

 fact, the majority — who in their practice commit one of 



