SELECTION OF BREEDING ANIMALS. 257 



designing men, more have sinned out of igno- 

 rance. Whatever the cause of their error its 

 result remains the same the practical ruin 

 of their cattle. 



It is evident, then, that nothing is to be taken 

 for granted; everything must be based on care- 

 ful investigation by those possessed of the req- 

 uisite knowledge, and unless there is some one 

 to whom the would-be purchaser can go to sup- 

 ply this knowledge and skill he is likely to 

 suffer, or at least run a serious risk. 



I have sometimes thought a plan could be 

 devised, and would be eventually, though the 

 time is doubtless not yet ripe for it, whereby 

 the various societies of cattle-breeders would 

 add to their record offices an office of certifi- 

 cation, frorn which any one would be able to 

 obtain for a small fee a certified copy of any 

 given pedigree with a statement as to what it 

 contained and as to whether it contained any 

 errors or flaws or not. Such an office if well 

 conducted could be made most valuable to the 

 breeding public, and I am inclined to think 

 that it could easily be made profitable. A few 

 trained clerks would soon acquire great skill 

 and would be able to dispatch business with 

 great rapidity, and it would, moreover, be free 

 from one of the great sources of expense in 

 a record office namely, the expenditures for 

 printing. The value of such a department to 



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