GRADE BREEDING. 209 



an expert judge could scarcely tell from thor- 

 oughbred animals. 



Why, then, is the grade not equal to the thor- 

 oughbred ? For market purposes a high grade, 

 generally speaking, probably is. The taint is 

 in the blood, not in the flesh or form. Inter- 

 breed grade with grade and deterioration rap- 

 idly follows. The great principle in breeding 

 high-class grades for beef or milk, then, is al- 

 ways to use thoroughbred sires, and never by 

 any means to use a grade bull to breed from. 



Why this is so is obvious enough. We have 

 seen that every animal is the joint product of 

 his ancestors, and also that the tendency of all 

 qualities obtained by artificial cultivation is to 

 decline when neglected; all improved breeds 

 constantly inclining to the original type. Con- 

 sequently, when a grade bull is used on grade 

 cows the tendency is to lose by frequent dilu- 

 tion the moiety of improved blood, and also the 

 further tendency to a general decline to the 

 native type is present in connection with the 

 former, and acts in conjunction with it and 

 gives it a cumulative force. He who tries a 

 cross of high-bred stock on his native cattle is 

 nearly always delighted with the result; so 

 delighted oftentimes that, choosing the most 

 promising of his half-bred bull calves, he uses 

 him as a sire. Disappointment nearly always 

 ensues, and a misconception of the real value 



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