40 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



animal is an obstacle in that animal's pathway. The feed 

 after the first twenty-four hours should be with special refer- 

 ence to the animal's ultimate product. 



Mr. W. B. Barton (of Dalton). Which animals would 

 be most likely to reproduce ? the one of unknown breed or 

 those of known breed ? 



Dr. TwiTCHELL. The one of unknown breed is uxore or 

 less an accident. Assuming that she is of unknown breed, 

 she would not be an ideal animal to breed from if she gave a 

 much larger quantity of milk, unless you mate with her a 

 prepotent sire. There would be an element of uncertainty 

 in breeding from that animal. The steps of progress in breed- 

 ing are slow, and they are not secured through accidents. 

 They come by continuous and persistent eflbrt along certain 

 lines. The hit-or-miss method of breeding is the chief cause 

 of having so large a per cent of inferior animals, and why we 

 make advance so slowly. Systematic work is what is needed. 



Mr. . I want to cite an instance in reoard to raisins; 



dairy animals on new milk. There was a certain party who 

 raised two calves that were equally well bred. One was fed 

 on new milk and the other on skimmed milk after the first 

 two weeks of its life. Both came in at about the same time, — 

 shortly after they were two years old. The one raised on 

 skimmed milk made on an average two pounds of butter a 

 week more than the one raised on new milk, and gave almost 

 two thousand pounds of milk a year more than the new-milk 

 calf. At a year old the new-milk calf was the more attrac- 

 tive, and in the majority of cases would have l)een the more 

 salable animal. The trouble is, we are looking for beauty, — 

 for attractive animals. 



Dr. TwiTCHELL. It was with a great deal of difiidence 

 that I came before you to discuss this question, firmly as I 

 believe in the truth at the bottom of it. But, gentlemen, I 

 believe that the path to success in bretxling lies in wise selec- 

 tion and in continuous breeding along certain restricted lines. 

 The moment you introduce a new animal, that moment you 

 introduce foreign elements, which may or may not result 

 harmoniously. 



Dr. LiNDSEY. I am intensely interested in this subject, 

 and I do not think we should for a moment wander awav 



