260 AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 



the conditions of soil, situation, climate, treatment and food 

 should be favorable to the object sought. 4th. As a general 

 rule, the female should be relatively, larger than the male. 

 This gives ample room for the perfect development of the 

 fostus, easy parturition, and a large supply of milk for the 

 offspring, at a period in its existence, when food has a greater 

 influence in perfecting character and form than at any sub- 

 sequent time. 5th. Exceptions to this rule may be made, 

 when greater size is required than can be obtained from the 

 female, and especially, when more vigor and hardiness of 

 constitution are desirable. For this purpose, strong mascu- 

 line development in the sire are proper, and if otherwise 

 unattainable, something of coarseness may be admitted, as 

 this may be afterwards corrected, and nothing will atone for 

 want of constitution and strength. 6th. Pairing should be 

 with a strict reference to correcting the imperfections of 

 one animal, by a corresponding excellence in the other. 

 7th. Breeding in-and-in, or propagating from animals nearly 

 allied, may be tolerated under certain circumstances, though 

 seldom ; and only in extreme cases between those of the 

 same generation as brother and sister. When the animal 

 possesses much stamina and peculiar merit, which it is de- 

 sired to perpetuate in the breed, it may be done either in the 

 ascending or descending line, as in breeding the son to the 

 parent, or the parent to his own progeny. This has been 

 practised with decided advantage, and in some cases has 

 even been continued successively as low as the sixth gene- 

 ration. 8th. It is always better to avoid close relationship, 

 by the selection of equally meritorious stock-getters of the 

 same breed, from other sources. 9th. Wholesome, nutri- 

 tious food, at all times sufficient to keep the animals steadily 

 advancing, should be provided, but they must never be 

 allowed to get fat. Of the two evils, starving is preferable 

 to surfeit. Careful treatment and the absence of disease 

 must be always fully considered. 10th. Animals should 

 never be allowed to breed either too early or too late in life. 

 These periods cannot be arbitrarily laid down, but must 

 depend on their time of maturity, the longevity of the breed, 

 and the stamina of the individual, llth. No violent cross 

 or mixing of distinct breeds should ever be admitted for the 

 purposes of perpetuation, as of cattle of diverse sizes; horses 

 of unlike characters ; the Merino and long wools, or even 

 the long or short and the middle wools. For carcass and 



