SELECTION OF BREEDING ANIMALS. 247 



animal of ancient but unrecorded lineage the 

 proper step to raise it into a new life and higher 

 productiveness, but my subject essentially con- 

 cerns itself only with the pure-bred animals of 

 the recognized breeds. 



The breed which any one determines upon is 

 to be settled by his individual taste. I do not 

 desire, writing as I hope I do, for more than the 

 clientage of my own favorite breed the Short- 

 horn to urge any one breed upon the rest of 

 the world. I recognize the excellences and 

 they are many possessed by all the improved 

 breeds. If the breeder's object is the produc- 

 tion of beef the Hereford, the Aberdeen- Angus, 

 the Galloway, the Short-horn are all most ad- 

 mirable; for dairy cattle the Jersey and the 

 kindred stocks of the other Channel Islands, the 

 Holstein-Friesians, the Ayrshires, and the Short- 

 horns all have their exclusive admirers; and 

 they are not the only ones in each department 

 which I might name for commendation, for the 

 lists given are not meant to be at all exhaustive. 

 There is, for instance, the valuable Devon breed, 

 famous for draft purposes, and claiming to be 

 equal to the Short-horn as a general-purpose 

 animal; and also the Red Polled cattle, highly 

 esteemed by some both in America and Eu- 

 rope. Any of these stocks offer good invest- 

 ments. The great expansion and large num- 

 bers of Short-horns would seem to witness to 



