150 THE NATURE AND TREATMENT OP 



fill limbs are generally co-existent with good " wind anc 

 bottom ; " and the subjects of course possess active respiratory 

 organs, a finely balanced circulation, and a digestive apparatus 

 that can digest every article in the shape of fodder. In select- 

 ing the beautiful, we therefore obtain material for perpetuating 

 health, long life, and valuable offspring. 



One of Blakewell's great secrets was "breed from the 

 beautiful." I allude to him because he was the most successful 

 ** breeder" that England ever boasted of. At the onset he paid 

 great attention to " beauty of form;" having developed a fine 

 exterior, he engrafted on it the useful. He was well aware 

 that beauty and utility were not always combined, but being 

 in possession of the former, he could produce the latter to 

 " order;" and he accomplished his object in the following man- 

 ner. He required cows that would yield a large quantity of 

 milk ; consequently he selected those whose dams had long 

 been celebrated for their excellent milking qualities, and from 

 among such he chose the very best female of the family, and 

 united her with a beautiful male. Having, in the production 

 of offspring through the above union, accomplished his object, 

 he then paid less attention to beauty, and more to the milking 

 qualities, so as to render the latter permanent in the breed; 

 still, in all his experiments he rejected uncouth, unthrifty, and 

 defective animals. 



I am aware, however, that the evils of domestication are 

 operative, to a certain extent, on all animals. Still I contend 

 that the " well bred" animal can resist the insidious encroach- 

 ments of disease, and survive longer under its depressing in- 

 fluence than "ill" favored creatures. Illustrations are not 

 wanting to prove the correctness of Blakewell's theory, there- 

 fore, I advise the reader to follow the example of one who has 

 been styled the " Napoleon of bi-eeders." 



IN-AND-IN BREEDING, 



We now inquire, What is breeding in-and-in ? I answer, it 

 implies consanguinity ; breeding from animals of the same 

 blood, or propagating in a close degree of relationship. 



