260 THE PRINCIPLES OF AGRICULTURE 



maintain or reproduce the given type or breed ; 

 to produce a new type or breed. One may have 

 small red cows, and desire to produce others like 

 them, or with some improvement on the same 

 lines ; or he may wish from these animals to 

 produce large red cows. In the former case, he 

 maintains his type ; in the latter, he produces a 

 new type. 



477. A breed is a general race or type which 

 reproduces itself more or less closely. It is 

 analagous to a variety in plants. Among 

 cattle, there are such breeds as Short -horns, 

 Jerseys, Devons, Holsteins ; among fowls, such 

 as Bantams, Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, 

 Shanghais. The person who guides and con- 

 trols the propagation of animals is known as 

 a breeder. 



Ib. The mental ideal 



478. The first principle in breeding is to 

 know what qualities one wants to secure. The 

 breeder must have a distinct ideal in mind. 



479. Many ideals are impracticable. In order 

 to be practicable or useful, the ideal must be 

 governed by two factors : the person must know 

 the characteristics of the class of animals with 

 which he is working ; he must know which 

 qualities are most likely to be carried over to 



