ON BREEDING AND REARING ANIMALS. 31 



creature kept in high condition, even when fed 

 on grass alone, or simple wash and grains ; but 

 she never produced more than seven young 

 ones at a farrow, and two or three of those 

 were generally starved to death for want of her 

 producing milk, all her food being appropriated 

 to the increase of her own flesh, instead of fur- 

 nishing sustenance for her young ones ; and 

 whatever boar was put to her, made no differ- 

 ence in this respect, but I never obtained any 

 young ones, that possessed in an equal degree 

 her own propensities and shape, except when 

 put to her own son. I also obtained another 

 sow, of a very different breed, but of equally 

 strong propensities to fatten, and valuable pro- 

 portions, and although this animal was regularly 

 in season for more than twelve months, and put 

 to different boars, she never would breed. Such 

 a sort of pigs would certainly not answer to 

 keep as breeders of stock for a market, but to 

 purchase for fattening, they were worth 25 per 

 cent, more than any others I ever possessed. 

 Such peculiarities were, no doubt, produced by 

 breeding in and in, and could not have been 

 by any other means, but it was also more imme- 

 diately the effect of selection. Animals possess- 

 ing the opposite propensities, that of breeding 

 great numbers, with large bone, and such as 



