SELECTION OF BREEDING ANIMALS. 277 



But why should we prolong the labors of inves- 

 tigation and work out each problem for itself 

 when a sufficient number of particular cases 

 have already been observed and accurate gen- 

 eralizations made upon them? It is the part 

 of wisdom to act on the light thus at hand, 

 taking advantage of what we have, and thus 

 saving ourselves many trying and disastrous 

 experiments. Nevertheless it seems to many 

 as if it was placing a great deal of faith in 

 mental processes to go to the extent of reject- 

 ing a lusty, well-formed, and active bull be- 

 cause his dam and grandam were very infecund. 

 In most cases it will be found indeed that the 

 bull does not show the lack of power to the 

 same degree as would the females certainly 

 not to the same absolute extent. That were 

 not to be expected ; it is only in a proportion- 

 ate degree, being as infecund as compared with 

 a vigorous bull as a female when compared 

 with a regular breeder, the practical outcome 

 of which would be that the bull would prove 

 increasingly uncertain as a breeder as he grew 

 older, and gradually, at an early age, lose his 

 potency. Sometimes this occurs without any 

 one suspecting the cause, and not infrequently 

 it is attributed to some other cause quite for- 

 eign to the true reason. 



One need not remind breeders of dairy cattle 

 how important it is not merely to ascertain, 



