104 BOARD OP AGHICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Mr. P. M. Harwood (of Barre). A year ago we had a 

 lecture from Prof. Thomas Shaw on the subject of breeding, 

 and he spoke about the law of like producing like, and also a 

 little about the law of variation. There is some difference of 

 opinion, apparently, between Professor Shaw and Professor 

 Dean, and I think if the lecturer would enlarge a little on 

 what he said about variation he would make it more clear to 

 the audience. I know they sympathized with what Professor 

 Shaw said last year, and I remember calling attention to this 

 other law of variation. 



Professor Dean. You understand that that is a very wide 

 question, and in itself would take up all the time allotted to 

 the lecture. But, in a word, we have these two laws at work. 

 In the breeding of all kinds of animals the old law was that 

 like produces like. This law has been called the keystone, the 

 cornerstone of the breeder ; and, to a certain extent, of course, 

 that law does apply within certain limits. But, strictly 

 speaking, like never produces like. The observing man must 

 come to the conclusion that nature abhors sameness ; that she 

 never produces two plants or animals alike ; she loves variety. 



A farmer who is watching his herd, and giving it daily 

 inspection, will find, for instance, that a certain animal has 

 the i^ower to produce animals which are heavy milkers, or 

 large butter producers. That is a variation from the normal, 

 because the normal power is to give the calf a start, then the 

 cow dries np. Some men who are breeding pure-bred cattle 

 will give much attention to a fine horn or a certain color ; and 

 they will weed out all cows that have not the horn just so ; or a 

 tongue of a certain sort ; or a black switch. The probabilities 

 are that the men who are doing that are destroying in many 

 cases animals which have the power to produce the largest 

 quantity of milk and butter. They have sacrificed them to 

 that fad called form. We must study this law of variation ; 

 we must get it fixed definitely in our minds what we want to 

 do, what we need ; get the cows that are varying in the direc- 

 tion we want. It is all right in itself to want cows all of a 

 certain shape or color, but I think it would be much better 

 to breed them upon lines of production. 



