258 



F A R M E R S' REGISTER. 



[No. 5 



and cattle have horns or no; but on a very mode- 

 rate calculation it will be found that the loss in 

 farming stock, and also in the diminution of animal 

 food, is very considerable, from the production of 

 horns and their appendaires. A mode of breeding 

 which would prevent the production of these, 

 would aflord a considerable profit in an increase ol 

 meat and wool, and other valuable parts. 



The length of the neck should be proportioned 

 to the height of the animal, that it may collect its 

 ibod with ease. 



Hie Muscles. 



The muscles, and tendons which are their ap- 

 pendages, should be large, by which an animal is 

 enabled to travel with greater facility. 



TTie Bones. 



The strength of an animal does not depend on 

 the size of the bones, but on that oi' the muscles. 

 Many animals with large bones are weak, their 

 muscles being small. 



Animals that were imperfectly nourished during 

 growth, have their bones disproportionately large. 

 If such deficiency of nourishment originated from 

 a constitutional defect, which is the most frequent 

 cause, they remain weak during life. Large bones, 

 therefore, generally indicate an imperfection in the 

 organs of nutrition. 



On the Improvement of Form. 



To obtain the most approved fbnn, two modes of 

 breeding have been practised; one by the selection 

 of individuals of the same family, called breeding 

 in and in: the other, by selecting males and fe- 

 males from different varieties of the same species, 

 which is called crossing the breed. 



When a particular variety approaches perfection 

 in form, breeding in and in may be the better 

 practice; especially for those who are not well 

 acquainted with the principles on which improve- 

 ment depends. 



When the male is much larger than the female, 

 the offspring is generally of an imperfect form. If 

 the female be proportionably larger than the male, 

 the oflspring is of an improved form. 



For instance, if a well-formed large ram be put 

 to ewes proportionably small, the lambs will not 

 be so well-shaped as their parents; and if a small 

 ram be put to large ewes, the lambs will be of an 

 improved form. 



The proper method of improving the forms of 

 animals, consists in selecting a well-formed female 

 proportionably larger than the male. 



The im|)rovement depends on this principle, that 

 the po'-ver of the female to supply her offspring 

 with nourishment, is in proportion to her size, and 

 thepowerof nourishing herself from the excellence 

 of her constitution. 



The size of the fojfua is generally in proporhon 

 to that of the male parent, and therefore when the 

 female parent is disproportionably small, the quan- 

 tity of nourishment is deficient, and the olfsprinfr 

 hfis all the disproportions of a starveling. 



But when the female from her size and good 

 constitution, is more than adequate to the nourish- 

 ment of a foetus of a smaller male than herself^ the 

 growth must be proportionably greater. 



The larger female has also a greater quantity of 

 milk, and her offspring is more abundantly supplied 

 with nourishment after birth. 



To produce the best formed animals, abundant 

 nourishment is necessary, from the earliest period 

 of its existence until its growth is entire. 



It has been observed in the beginning of the pa- 

 per, that the power to prepare the greatest quantity 

 of nourishment from a given quantity of food, de- 

 pends principally on the magnitude of the lungs 

 to which the organs of digestion are subservient. 



To obtain animals with large lungs, crossing is 

 the most expeditious, because well formed females 

 may be selected from a variety of a large size, to 

 be put to a well formed male of a variety that is 

 rather smaller. 



By such a method of crossing, the lungs and 

 heart become proportionably larger, in consequence 

 of a peculiarity in the circulation of the foetus^ 

 which causes a larger proportion of the blood un- 

 der such circumstances, to be distributed to the 

 lungs, than to the other parts of the body, and as 

 theshape and size of the chest, depend on that of 

 the lungs, hence arises the remarkably large chest 

 which is produced by crossing with females that 

 are larger than the males. 



The practice according to this principle of im- 

 provement, however, ought to be limited; for it may 

 be carried to such an extent, that the bulk of the 

 body might be so disproportioned to the size of the 

 limbs, as to prevent the animals from moving with 

 sufBcicnt facility. 



In animals where activity is required, this prac- 

 tice should not be extended so fiir as in those 

 which are intended for the food of man. 



On the Character of Animals. 



By character in animals is here meant those ex- 

 ternal appearances by which the varieties of the 

 same species are distinguished. The characters 

 of both parents are observed in their offspring, but 

 that of the male most frequently, predominates. 

 This may be illustrated in the breeding of horned 

 animals, among which there are many varieties 

 of sheep, and some of cattle, which are horned. 



If a hornless ram be put to a horned ewe, al- 

 most all the lambs will be hornless, partaking of 

 the character of the male, more than of the fe- 

 male parent. 



In some counties, as Norfolk, Wilkshire, and 

 Dorsetshire, most of the sheep have horns. In 

 Norfolk, the horns may be got rid of by crossing 

 with Ryland rams, which would also improve the 

 form of the chest and the quantity of the wool. 



In Wilkshire, and Dorsetshire, the same im- 

 provement might be made by crossing the sheep, 

 with Souih-dovvn rams. 



An offspring without horns might be obtained 

 from the Devon cattle, by crossing with the Iiorn- 

 less bulls of the Galloway breed. This would 

 also improve the form of the chest, which the De- 

 vons are often deficient in. 



Examples of the good effects of Crossing the 

 Breed. 



TIic great improvement of the breed of horses 

 in England arose from crosses with the diminutive 

 stallions, Barbs, and Arabians; and the introduc- 

 tion of Flanders mares into this country, was tlic 



