PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING. 175 



and, so far as the products of Ms herds and flocks are 

 concerned, get much better results than are possible from 

 common stock. The best animals for general farmers, 

 for instance, are without doubt "high grades,^' produced 

 from crossing pure-bred sires with good common stock. 

 For this work a knowledge of the conditions of the farm, 

 coupled with the knowledge of the characteristics of the 

 leading breeds, should serve as a guide for the selection 

 of that breed which shall best fulfil the conditions. In 

 this work it is quite as necessary to have a sire of a 

 high degree of excellence as in herds of pure-breds; for 

 the stronger the fixed qualities of the sire, the more 

 likely is he to impress them upon his offspring, and to 

 overcome the tendencies inherent in the common dam. 



Cross-Breeding. — The crossing of the pure breeds 

 has not always proved successful, since the inherited 

 tendencies are too strong to admit of an equal mingling 

 of the characteristics of the parents ; however, many such 

 crosses have proved satisfactory. In this work, breeds 

 should be selected which possess certain qualities in 

 common, rather than those possessing distinctly opposite 

 characters; for instance, the breeding together of a very 

 small and a very large animal is not so likely to result 

 in offspring possessing the best characteristics of both, 

 as if the parents were more nearly alike in this and other 

 respects. 



Breeds of Horses. — The distinct breeds of horses 

 are classified as draft breeds, heavy carriage breeds, 

 thorough-breds, American saddle-horses, American trotting- 

 horses, and pony breeds. 



Draft Breeds. — Draft breeds, or large, heavy horses, — 



