116 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



years ago, and they came to opposite conclusions, some of them 

 claiming the stallion as the most valuable for ])urposes of 

 breeding, and others declaring that tlie influence of the mare 

 predominates in the foal. Bakewell, the celel)rated English 

 sheep-breeder, always contended that tlie fine qualities of his 

 sheep were owing to the female ; he would sell or let his rams, 

 but his ewes were sacred. 



The result of my investigations is to this effect, that we can- 

 not get a perfect animal unless we have a perfect female as well 

 as a perfect male ; and the reason why we get so much benefit 

 from the connection of the Durham bull with our ordinary 

 cows is, because the one is so much weaker, is a coarse animal, 

 and the other so much stronger from its perfect purity of blood. 

 The result is, that the grade Shorthorns of this country are 

 always far superior to their dams in form, and superior to the 

 animals that come from the connection of the common bull and 

 cow. 



I want to bring out this idea of the potency of blood very 

 strongly, because of its bearing on the question of pedigree in 

 animals, Avhich so many are inclined to laugh at. What we call 

 " pedigree " is only the history of the animal, showing his con- 

 nections and his antecedents. Tliere is no stronger illustra- 

 tion of this potency of blood than what took place when the 

 effort was made to cross the Roussillon ram, a comparatively 

 poor sort of animal, with the English breeds. The result was, 

 that all the progeny of this mixture partook entirely of the 

 characteristics of this ram, because of his entire purity of 

 blood, whereas the English sheep were of a mixed race ; and 

 it was not until there was an alteration in the system, by the 

 introduction of hybridization, that the attempt to intermix the 

 two breeds was successful. This fact, among thousands of 

 others, shows the great importance of preserving purity of 

 blood, and the best blood in our cattle. 



There is only one other remark which I desire to make 

 in this connection, and that is, that we pay too little attention 

 to tlie age of the bull. In this country, we breed from our 

 youngest animals, and we get rid of them before they mature. 

 In other countries, they do not use an animal for breeding pur- 

 poses until he is comparatively mature, and they retain him as 

 long as he is doing good service. It is the custom hero to 



