EARLY ENGLISH HERD BOOK PEDIGREES. 237 



their pedigree cattle, both in England and America, are accepted as 

 thorough-bred. We note their practice simply as matter of history, 

 not from any doubt of the integrity of their blood. We have no such 

 precedent in America where only the common native cows of the 

 country, or those of some well-bred race other than the Short-horn 

 can be resorted to. Thus, in America, having English Herd Book 

 authority for example, we, as a matter of course, have been constrained 

 to accept all English cattle imported from there as true Short-horns, 

 on good authority that they were so. As such, they are entitled 

 to record in our own Herd Books. Let cavilers say what they may, 

 there can be no fairly disputing the question. As to what degree of 

 confidence such pedigrees may be received by the public, it must be 

 simply a matter of choice, or individual preference for them to either 

 accept or refuse. The pedigree, or history of the animal, is the title 

 to either acceptance or rejection, as best suits one's pleasure or judg- 

 ment. Be it understood, however, that pedigree alone does not deter- 

 mine the excellence, or value of the animal; its form and other good 

 qualities must confirm, to a greater or less extent, the value of the 

 pedigree ; otherwise a wide misjudgment may be made in the choice. 



Another point for we may as well canvass the whole question of 

 pedigrees, so far as possible. We have seen it intimated, both in Eng- 

 land and America, by some who may possibly know something about 

 it, and more frequently by those who do not, that there have been 

 divers interpolations in some of the earlier, or even later English 

 pedigrees, some bulls having been omitted that ought to be in, and 

 others inserted which ought to be left out, and thus the pedigrees 

 measurably falsified. That may, or may not be. Of our personal 

 knowledge we can say nothing of the facts ; and in such doubt, we 

 have no authority to decide the matter one way or the other but the 

 Herd Book itself. The pedigrees are in the Herd Book, and being 

 there, and long accepted by the mass of past, as well as living breed- 

 ers, without the most positive evidence to the contrary of what they 

 contain, we have no right to question them. Inferences, innuendoes, 

 and arguments may be advanced indefinitely, but they prove nothing. 



Still another point treating the subject exhaustively while about 

 it. Many people are prone to believe that a long pedigree extending 

 sixty, seventy, or eighty years back, with fifteen or twenty Herd Book 

 crosses in it, is positive evidence of purity, and therefore no ques- 

 tion can be entertained of its thorough breeding. We shall readily 

 see that such evidence may be of deficient character. Suppose, for 

 instance, we take a daughter of Charles Ceiling's cow Lady, by 



