64 CATTLE. 



possessing qualities nearly similar to their cwn, he conceived that he 

 had only to select from the most valuable breeds such as promised 

 to return the greatest possible emolument, and that he should then 

 be able, by careful attention to progressive improvement, to produce 

 a breed whence he could derive a maximum of advantage. He 

 made excursions into different parts of England, in order to inspect 

 the different breeds, and to select those that were best adapted to his 

 purpose, and the most valuable of their kind ; and his residence and 

 his early liabits disposed him to give the preference to the long-horn 

 cattle. 



We have no account of the precise principles which guided him 

 in the various selections which he made ; but Mr. Marshall, who says 

 that he ** was repeatedly favored with opportunities of making ample 

 observations on Mr. Bakewell's practice, and with liberal communica- 

 tions from him on all rural subjects," gives us some clue. He speaks 

 ojt the general principles of breeding, and when he does this in con- 

 nection with the name of Bakewell, we shall not be very wrong in 

 concluding that these were the principles by which that great agri- 

 culturist was influenced. 



" The most general principle is beauty of form. It is observable, 

 however, that this principle was more closely attended to at the out- 

 set of improvement (under an idea, in some degree falsely grounded, 

 that the beauty of form and utility are inseparable) than at present, 

 when men, who have long been conversant in practice, make a dis- 

 tinction between a " useful sort " and a sort which is merely " hand- 

 some." 



" The next principle attended to is a proportion of parts, or what 

 may be called utility of form, in distinction from beauty of form ; 

 thus the parts which are deemed offal, or which bear an inferior 

 price at market, should be small in proportion to the better parts. 



** A third principle of improvement is the texture of the muscular 

 parts, or what is termed flesh, a quality of live stock which, familiar 

 as it may long have been to the butcher and the consumer, had not 

 been sufficiently attended to by breeders, whatever it might have 

 been by graziers. This principle involved the fact that the grain of 

 the meat depended wholly on the breed, and not, as had been before 

 considered, on the size of the animal. But the principle which 

 engrossed the greatest share of attention, and which, above all others, 

 is entitled to the grazier's attention, is fattening quality, or a natural 

 propensity to acquire a state cf fatness at an early age, when in 

 full keep, and in a short space of time ; a quality which is clearly 

 found to be hereditary." 



Therefore, in Bakewell's opinion, everything depended on breed ; 

 and the beauty and utility of the form, the quality of the flesh, and 

 the propensity to fatness, were, in the offspring, the natural conse- 

 quence of similar quahties in the parents. His whole attention W5»i 



