292 CATTLE-BREEDING. 



should be so bad. It is far from sure that a 

 good bull will be a good breeder, though that is 

 the natural and just presumption; but where 

 the presumption fails the bull should be dis- 

 posed of promptly. 



There is a question often asked in this con- 

 nection which demands some notice, namely: 

 whether it is safe to breed from a bull of 

 vicious temper. We have seen that peculiar- 

 ities of temper and disposition were equally 

 transmissible with bodily peculiarities and de- 

 fects. The natural inference, therefore, would 

 seem to be that it is dangerous to breed from 

 a bad-tempered bull. The inference naturally 

 derived from the theory is, however, to a certain 

 degree negatived by my experience. I have 

 never bred nor reared a bad or vicious bull. I 

 have repeatedly bred cows to dangerous bulls 

 and never had a dangerous or unruly calf. In 

 this I speak exclusively of Durham or Short- 

 horn cattle. I have noted, on the other hand, 

 that a large proportion of the bulls of such 

 smaller and more nervous breeds as the Jerseys 

 were fractious. After long study and frequent 

 discussion I have reached the conclusion that 

 very much depends on two considerations: first, 

 the general balance of the nervous tempera- 

 ment of the breed; and second, the method -of 

 treatment pursued from early calf hood; in fine, 

 the education. In man the nervous, emotional 



