HISTORICAL TESTIMONY. 157 



Having thus cursorily inquired into the opin- 

 ions expressed by this eminent breeder, let us 

 now proceed to inquire into his practice. Mr. 

 Darwin, who was certainly in this matter an 

 unprejudiced student, sums up his examination 

 into the method pursued by Mr. Bates as fol- 

 lows: "For thirteen years he bred most closely 

 in-and-in, but during the next seventeen years, 

 though he had the most exalted notion of the 

 value of his own stock, he thrice infused fresh 

 blood into his herd. It is said he did this not 

 to improve the form of his animals, but on 

 account of their lessened fertility."* As a 

 general statement this may be taken as fairly 

 indicating the general tenor of Mr. Bates' 

 course. With this qualification, however, that 

 even in the first thirteen years of close inbreed- 

 ing there were two outcrosses quite extensively 

 introduced, through the bulls Marske and 2d 

 Hubback, though the latter was only half out 

 and failed to restore the herd to its proper 

 stamina and vigor. Mr. Dixon, indeed, saysf 

 that 2d Hubback was a distinct injury to the 

 herd; but "it was only when Mr. Bates found 

 that he had lost twenty-eight calves in one 

 year, and solely through lack of constitution/ 7 

 that he was willing to give him up. Bell, how- 

 ever, does not agree with this view, and thinks 



* "Animals and Plants Under Domestication," Vol. I, p. 147. 

 t "Saddle and Sirloin," p. 152, note. 



