GRADE BREEDING. 213 



requisite of record. Thus unbroken descent 

 from an oriental source was long demanded 

 in the English thoroughbred, and importation 

 from England with an English Herd Book rec- 

 ord is still demanded of American Short-horn 

 cattle. Hence the anomaly that one may take 

 a cow in England and put five crosses of re- 

 corded bulls on her and her produce and gain 

 admission for the produce in both English and 

 American Herd Books, while a score of crosses 

 of unimpeachable sires will never elevate an 

 original American cow's descendants to the 

 dignity of a herd book entry. 



In general it is perhaps safe to say that five 

 crosses of highly-bred bulls give the animal 

 the improved character. I am forced to this 

 conclusion by what I believe to be sufficient 

 evidence. Five crosses of mean bulls weak, 

 impotent will do little or no good. I am 

 dealing with normal cases. As a breeder I 

 confess to a love of long, far-drawn pedigrees. 

 I love the old-fashioned sorts which have been 

 long well bred and are deeply dyed in the dear 

 traditions of Short-horn excellence; I love such 

 old stocks as the Princess, losing itself as it 

 does in the far-off dawn of Short-horn history; 

 as the Knightley Cold Creams, as the Booth 

 Bracelets, as the Towneley Butterflys, as the 

 Mason Miss Wileys, and so on; but loving them, 

 seeing in them the highest confirmation of the 



