90 



of 110 ])articnlar breed ; and we should expect the prog'eny to be 

 ni(n"e thoroughly stamped with the impress of" the bull than in 

 the simple crossing of a thorough-bred on a thorough-bred. 

 On this feature of breeding we should build our hopes of 

 improving the common stock of the country. 



To raise up a herd of good milkers, we must in the first 

 place select our best cows, descended from a line of good 

 milkers, if possible. These cows should then be served by a 

 bull of some superior family, thorough-bred, and the progeny 

 again served by a thorough-bred bull, and so on, constantly 

 crossing the best cows w^ith bulls of a superior race. 



If this rule was carefully followed out, we should undoubt- 

 edly see more fine herds which, although not thorough-breds, 

 would have many of their characteristics and good qualities. 



We will give an instance of the beneficial results of the 

 crossing thorough-breds on the common stock of our country. 



A writer, (on stock raising,) in Texas, in a recent number 

 of the "■ Country Gentleman," says, some parties here are 

 owners of three hundred Short-Born bulls from which the 

 finest calves are raised by the cross between them and the 

 grade Texas cows. " These calves show Durham (or Short- 

 Horn) blood so clearly in every instance that they furnish 

 another proof of the general law, that the stronger and better 

 blooded of two races will give form and impress to the progeny. 

 This fact is remarkably illustrated in these herds. The second 

 and third crosses leave no traces of Texas blood." 



The one object for breeding in Texas is for beef, and of 

 course the cross of the Short-Horn answers £hat purpose ad- 

 miral)ly ; but with us, where milk and butter are our chief 

 objects, a cross of the Ayrshire or Jersey would be better. 



Another instance of the prepotency of thorough-bred blood 

 is very noticealjle in the marked influence of a Jersey cross on 

 our common stock. The smallest drop of Jersey blood in an 

 animal can almost always be detected by a good judge of the 

 breed. 



Now the Jerseys are as thoroughly thorough-breds as any 



