252 CATTLE-BREEDING. 



like produces like, and all of these animals, 

 all of personal excellence, have followed each 

 other, each pair in turn producing an excellent 

 offspring, ending at last in this meritorious ani- 

 mal, so this animal is in consequence hereby 

 guaranteed to produce excellent descendants." 

 This gives what we might call an excellent 

 natural pedigree. In addition to this we must 

 have a pedigree in all respects conformable to 

 the artificial standard of the particular breed. 

 This may or may not conform with the require- 

 ments of the herd books of each breed. We 

 may say in general that most of the herd books 

 are more indulgent than the public opinion 

 among the breeders. Thus it is very well settled 

 that to constitute a good Short-horn pedigree 

 every animal in it must trace in every line to an 

 undoubted English source, while there are many 

 pedigrees in the American Short-horn Herd Book, 

 especially in the earlier volumes, which trace 

 to beasts whose history is unknown, and which 

 goes out in this country. Such pedigrees are 

 said to run to the ''American woods," and this 

 is quite universally regarded as a fatal blemish. 

 We may say, then, that a pedigree to be a good 

 pedigree must at least be conformable to the 

 records of the standard book of registry ; that 

 is, it must either be recorded therein. or only 

 need to be offered for registry to be recorded. 

 This is absolutely necessary. But many ani- 



